Dragon Age II: The Dragonborn Comes
by Choccy Otter
Summary: "We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment...and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap". Paarthanax and Odahviing find out about Thedas, and send a reluctant Dragonborn to Kirkwall to watch over it. There she meets Hawke and her band...
1. Prologue: High Hrothgar

The lone figure walked purposefully through the blizzard towards High Hrothgar, a wolf fur cloak clutched around her body. It was just past midnight, dark and cold, but she didn't want to be noticed by any pilgrims that would be on the path during the day; she was leaving the society of Skyrim for good. Sick of the corruption that the Civil War had brought and harassment that she suffered from people wanting her to solve all their problems, she decided that her best decision would be to disappear and live out the rest of her life in peace.

Panting with exhaustion, she reached the summit and stood before the monastery of the Greybeards. She turned and looked out over Skyrim; the faint lights of nearby settlements, campfires belonging to bandits, fires from abandoned camps belonging to warring armies glittered beneath her. Normally she would have considered it to be beautiful, however it just reminded her of what she faced if she went back down the mountain. Sighing, she turned back and pushed through the doors into High Hrothgar.

* * *

Arngeir woke up to the bang of the main doors into the monastery. He was confused; he knew that a common pilgrim would not dare enter High Hrothgar especially at this time, and the Greybeards certainly hadn't asked for anyone to come to them. He decided to investigate and climbed out of his bed, taking care not to disturb the other Greybeards. Quietly he walked to the main entrance hall. Upon entering he noticed that the female intruder looked familiar; on a closer examination he recognised the forlorn figure of the half-bosmer Dragonborn. Her dark hair was messy from the wind, and a black fur cloak covered her blood-stained fur armour. She was hunched over the lit brazier, shivering from the cold; Arngeir remembered that she never coped well with the harsh winters of Skyrim. He decided to let his presence be known and coughed gently.

"Dragonborn, we did not expect you to return so soon to us". The figure jumped and turned towards Arngeir, surprise etched in her light grey eyes.

"Master Arngeir! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, I was going to wait until morning" she said, flustered.

"Don't worry about it, but why did you come back here? Alduin is gone, and Skyrim..."

"Skyrim is in torment, and I cannot help it" She said sharply. A distant look passed over her face as she explained. "The Thalmor have made their move on Skyrim, using the Civil War to their advantage. I warned both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks about this, but neither would call a truce. Now the Thalmor have an even stronger hold, both armies have been defeated and the Jarls have corrupt officials giving them false information. The Thalmor Justicars have been chasing me since they gained control, but I think I lost them – even if they knew where I was, they wouldn't dare follow me through this blizzard." She stopped to take a deep breath. "The Thalmor want my head, for 'treason' – infiltrating their embassy really pitted them against me. I cannot return down the mountain – I have nowhere else safe to go, and so I seek sanctuary here. I would be willing to adhere to the Way and I wouldn't intrude..."

"Dragonborn, you are welcome to stay as long as you need to, and we will of course teach you as much as we can. Paarthurnax in particular will be glad to see you" Arngeir replied, smiling down at her. At his reply, the Dragonborn smiled in relief.

"My thanks, Master." She stood up. "I hope I prove to be a good student"

"That remains to be seen, although your eagerness is commendable. But come, I shall see if I can find a spare bedroll for you." Arngeir walked towards the living quarters, with the Dragonborn following close behind him. It was the start of something new for her.

* * *

The next day after conferring with the other monks, Arngeir and the other Greybeards had graciously allowed the Dragonborn to stay on High Hrothgar. Nobody except Nords had ever been allowed to study there, but Eira was special; Eira was the Dragonborn, the one who defeated Alduin and fought alongside the Heroes of Sovngarde.

In gratitude for being allowed to stay, Eira swore to leave her past behind her and devoted herself to studying the Way of the Voice and the dragon language. Her armour and weapons that had kept her safe for years lay in a locked chest in the living quarters next to her bedroll. She didn't expect to need them again, but she couldn't sell them - they were too recognisable as hers.

* * *

Six months past; The Thalmor had never approached High Hrothgar, although Eira was almost certain that they knew she was there. The rumours of the dangers of the mountain, the power that the Greybeards possessed and the danger of causing another war with the native Nords prevented them from climbing up to the monastery, for which she was grateful. The Greybeards were kind if silent company; they taught her the dragon language over the months until she was fluent. Around once a month, she would climb to the very top of the Throat of the World, where Paarthurnax lived to talk to him. She liked his company, and would often listen to him talk about the previous dragon war and his experiences of the world. Eira would also meditate and completely embraced the philosophy of the Way of the Voice.

Although Eira was content, she sometimes longed for the days she spent exploring Skyrim as an adventurer. She missed the friendly company of the Companions, the acceptance of her Family in the Dark Brotherhood, and the atmosphere in the Ragged Flagon, the valley of Fort Dawnguard, and the quiet but dangerous ambience of magic at the College of Winterhold. She had called all these places home at different times in her life, but now High Hrothgar was her home. She had peace for the first time in years, and life was good. But there was a sense of unease within her; that something would change soon and she would have to run again.

* * *

A year had passed since Eira had arrived at High Hrothgar and joined the ranks of the Greybeards. As part of her routine, she was walking up the mountain to talk to Paarthurnax at the Throat of the World, Shouting against the winds and the enemies that blocked her path. As she approached, she noticed that another dragon was at the word wall with Paarthurnax although she didn't recognise the guest at a distance. Previously, some dragons who remained loyal to Alduin even after his demise had attempted to attack Paarthurnax and her, but Paarthurnax always seemed to take care of it. The two dragons weren't attacking each other, so she assumed it was safe to approach them cautiously.

The two dragons turned towards her as she approached. Finally, Eira recognised the second dragon as Odahviing, who helped her find Alduin, and acknowledged her as his superior. After Alduin's defeat, she gave him leave to settle down on the condition that he never hurt an innocent. Paarthurnax later told her that he found another dragon seeking a similar goal, and that they lived on a mountain in the secluded Forgotten Vale. As nobody apart from Eira and Serana knew about the place, it was ideal for them.

"Drem Yol Lok Paarthurnax, Odahviing" Eira said as she got closer. "I didn't expect to see you here Odahviing, how are you?"

"Pruzah. I am well Dragonborn." Odahviing replied in his gravelly voice. Eira recognised the apprehension in him though; she remembered the tone from when she placed Dragonrend on him at Whiterun during the Dragon War.

"Actually Dragonborn, we were just talking about you" Paarthurnax spoke.

"Aam? What about?"

"All the dov, dragons, have had vokul hanhu recently, nightmares. Unease is in us all."Odahviing replied.

"Nightmares? Is that unusual in dov?" Eira spoke confused.

"Indeed it is Dovahkiin," Paarthurnax said. "We see a great deal on the currents of time, but this we haven't seen before. Fiik, vulom, grohiik, kro and a zhakrii at the very centre"

Eira was puzzled by this proclamation: mirrors, darkness, wolves, mages and a sword? It made no sense. "Are there not other dov there? Can they not see this?"

"Nid" Odahviing replied.

"We are not certain yet; it is too far away for us to see - a different lein, world. But if that world falls to kein, mu fen kos daanik" Paarthurnax muttered. A shiver passed through Eira at the declaration that the Tamriel would be doomed if another world fell to war.

"Can the inhabitants of this world do anything?"

"The joor of that lein are mey! They cannot see beyond their noses!" Odahviing snorted exasperated. "From what we've managed to see, they are wholly unprepared for such a thing to happen."

Eira sighed. "It always seems to be that fools are in charge" she grumbled cynically. "But what did this have to do with me?"

Paarthurnax sighed, "There are a few people in that world who would act when what is going to happen occurs, but they might need our help to stop the danger."

"However dov would not be trusted in a land such as that, and all the jul of this world will not be enough. As one of sossedov, you could provide enough strength to support that world and keep ours safe" Odahviing continued.

Eira stood in shock at this news. The dragons wanted to send her to another world far away, so that Tamriel would be safe (whose inhabitants would probably be ungrateful for that, she thought sullenly), and all this on the information of a war.

"I can't do that! What if I'm needed on Skyrim? How would I even get there? How do you even know your dreams are correct?!"

"You've remained at High Hrothgar for a year – if Skyrim doesn't need you now then it probably doesn't need you for the foreseeable future. As for getting there, I and Odahviing can Shout a portal to that leim that you would be able to learn in order to return. As for your final objection, dreaming is an uncommon phenomenon in dov. In the past we have ignored our dreams only for them to realise themselves in reality. We dare not disregard this one when it's so serious" Paarthurnax replied patiently. "This isn't a decision that we take lightly, so discuss it with the Greybeards beforehand"

"I will return to my strunmah" Odahviing said, unveiling his leathery wings. "Call me if you need me Dovahkiin." Odahviing took off and flew away. Eira just ran back to the monastery in shock without even saying goodbye to Paarthurnax.

* * *

**Hi guys! Thank you for reading my new story. I've had ideas for this since I first played Skyrim, and I realised how similar the worlds of Tamriel and Thedas were. I am looking for a beta reader for these stories, and if you have any ideas about where to go on this let me know. However, I am not immediately considering a romance with any character in this story - I can't really write romances.**

**The dragon language came from the unofficial elder scrolls webpage.**


	2. Chapter 1: Decisions and Leaving Skyrim

**Firstly, thank you everyone for the favourites and reviews. Do keep them coming as I'm still fairly new to this. I elaborate a bit more on Eira's backstory in this chapter and this will be the last chapter set in Skyrim for the time being. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Dragonborn, what have you called me for? What has Paarthurnax said to you to make you like this?" Arngeir worriedly spoke.

When Eira ran back to the monastery, she panted out to a shocked Wulfgar that she needed to speak urgently to Arngeir; and then she sat exhausted on the snowy ground until Arngeir arrived. The last time Arngeir had seen her like this was when she had used the Elder Scroll on the Throat of the World – nobody truly knew what she saw after reading it, but she seemed very troubled by what she had seen.

Eira took a deep breath to steady her nerves before muttering in reply, "Paarthurnax has said that the dragons have started to have premonitions of things happening in another world. None of what they spoke of made much sense to me, but he has suggested sending me away there. To make sure none of the problems there reaches Tamriel. I'm not sure if I can do it..."

Arngeir was shocked by this news. He knew about the rarity of dreams in dragons, and to hear that Paarthurnax was worried about it was troubling indeed. As for Eira, he knew that she was more than capable of handling herself – otherwise the World-Eater would never had been destroyed, so what was she so afraid of?

"I can understand your apprehension Dragonborn. Nobody has been past our oceans and returned, but what I don't comprehend is why you are so... frightened of this. You always seemed to love new adventures; you would often beg me to tell you where the Word Walls where."

A sad, distant look past over Eira face as she remembered. Indeed she had lived for the thrill of adventuring; she never knew what the next day would bring her, and it was exhilarating. There was hardly anything she couldn't handle with her blades and Voice, and she was confident, perhaps overly so. But then the Thalmor had confronted her and Vorstag in the wilds of Falkreath with an army. The pain of her battle scars, and her grief from losing one of her closest friends while he was trying to defend her still hurt deeply. She was lucky to survive that day, but she swore that she wouldn't lose anyone else to this conflict.

"It was my fault he...Vorstag... died..." she whispered.

Arngeir looked at Eira with sympathy in his eyes knowing the pain she felt. "We all end at some point. Our lives are finite in this world; however it is the next world where we meet our friends again. I'm sure that Vorstag knew what he was doing when he followed you, and that he doesn't begrudge you for his death in Sovngarde."

Eira sighed, "I wish that I had your certainty Arngeir. But if I had just noticed that spell before it hit..."

"Don't blame yourself Eira. Melancholy is a dangerous place to fall into, especially for one such as yourself, and you lead well. Just ask any of those guilds you joined."

"Hmm, perhaps, but I have to keep reminding myself not to lose myself in to the power that the guilds gave me. After all: Dov wahlaan fah rel, as Paarthurnax said. Dragons were made to dominate."

"And that makes you worth leading. Power corrupts those who are unprepared for it, and you were prepared to handle it by virtue of your blood," reassured Arngeir. "As for what to do about this new world, it has to be your decision. Neither I nor Paarthurnax can choose for you. I suggest that you meditate on it. You should be able to make your choice with a clear mind." Arngeir moved to leave the council room.

"Arngeir."

He turned back towards Eira, who was standing looking at the wall where he left her.

"...Thank you."

Smiling, Arngeir left for the courtyard.

* * *

The next afternoon after her usual troubled sleep, Eira kneeled in front of the altar hidden by the front door; there were plenty of candles around her to keep her warm while she meditated and it was out of the way of the other Greybeards.

'Arngeir was right' she thought, 'I need a focused head before I can make any kind of decision on whether to leave or not'.

Closing her eyes, she started to breathe more freely. The colours from the different scents in the monastery still swirled around in front of her closed eyes – a side effect from her lycanthropy. She remembered talking to Aela about this; after the first time she Turned and saw all the colours she was quite disconcerted.

Aela's reply was simple, "You have the blood of the wolf in you now. While they see things in monochrome, they also can smell the scents from the people and objects around them. This bleeds through to your human side; over time, It'll become much stronger. It's good for hunting though." It took time, but eventually she got used to it; she couldn't imagine being without it now. It was part of her now, but it was much stronger in her beast form.

The smoke from the braziers was a dull grey in the background spectrum of smells and the colourless air moving in from the cracks around the doors; the scent of the Greybeards was intermixing with the surroundings with a variety of dark greens and muted blues. Trying to ignore the colours, Eira focused on her breath and left her mind empty for her thoughts to emerge.

Voices from her past sometimes arose in her mind; her bosmer mother, her nord father, friends past and present. She missed her mother - but she was safe in Bruma, Eira wondered if she thought she was dead as she had to cut off all communication with her when she entered the monastery. She used to send regular letters to her mother after she left for Skyrim ten years ago. There were no more jobs there, unless she wanted to be a barmaid. But who wanted to be in a dead-end job where the highlight of your day was getting your butt slapped by some drunkard?

Her father on the other hand was gone. He'd been taken away by soldiers five years ago; the official story was that he was in Thalmor custody as he was a Talos worshipper, however every time she or her mother asked about him in the Cyrodiil Thalmor Embassy they got shot down. They said, "He knows something about the Talos cult, and we won't release him until he cooperates with us". To Eira, her father was always kind and gentle so the thought that the Thalmor were 'manually uncoiling' him until he told them was reprehensible.

* * *

Two hours passed before Eira woke up from her meditation. She stretched and recovered the feeling back in her legs, her joints cracking and protesting as she stood up. Upon reflection, Eira realised that she felt much better than she had done in a long time, as if a burden was lifted from her shoulders. She realised that she couldn't live her life in fear that the people she cared for would be hurt; risk was a necessary part of life and after all, she missed the ecstasy of travelling. She had made her choice, and even if doubts clouded her mind she would stick by it.

She found the monks eating their evening meal in the living quarters. Coughing lightly, she attracted their attention and the monks turned towards her waiting for her to speak. However Arngeir spoke first. "Ah, Dragonborn. I informed the others about your dilemma. Have you come to a decision?"

Eira nodded.

"Yes, Master. You were right - I cannot go on mourning for those I have lost, or fear losing them again and I need to move on from my regret. So I thought that I should leave for this new world." The rest of the Greybeards looked at her in glad surprise, with Arngeir looking at her with pride – he had come to consider her as the daughter he never had. Eira continued her reasoning. "If there is anything I can do to prevent another war, I will do so...and I miss being out in the world" She smirked cheekily.

"A good decision Dragonborn, Paarthurnax will be glad to hear it. You should go and tell him." The Greybeards nodded their agreement with Arngeir. Eira smiled at them, and left to get her fur cloak.

* * *

"I am pleased to hear that you have come to a decision Dovahkiin" Paarthurnax rumbled. "I admit I will sorry to see you go – I have gotten into the habit of tinvaak with you. Hmm, Krosis, I should not be bothering you with such trivialities."

"Nid faas Paarthurnax, don't fear offending me. I like these talks with you too. But I also miss being a wunduniik in Taazokaan; adventuring even in a different world would be an interesting experience."

"I thank you Dovahkiin, for being so considerate. Still, vulon los het, night has come. I suggest you return and prepare yourself for what is to come."

* * *

Eira returned to her bedroll amongst the sleeping monks and gently opened her chest for the first time in a year. Its contents glittered alluringly in the dim light of the room. Various artefacts from her travels filled this box from rewards from daedric lords to gifts from diverse crowd of allies that she had accumulated over the years. It would be difficult to choose what to take with her. Reverently she emptied out the chest, and examined her bounty.

Admittedly, she was more a rogue than a mage or a warrior, but that didn't mean that she didn't recognise the advantages of their skills. After all, being a werewolf had proved itself to be useful in her travels although she was extremely reluctant to go through with the Companion's ritual. While contemplating, she recalled the few details that Paarthurnax's dreams told her about this new world, which he eventually found out was called Thedas

There was only one Divine in Thedas, which was very confusing for Eira. How could one Divine be in charge of every aspect of life?

She also knew that the elvish races were viewed with suspicion and often treated as beneath the humans who walked the world with them, so she would have to cover her pointed ears if she was to get anywhere. However that was nothing new; in Cyrodiil, most people didn't care who her parents were as long as she worked hard and didn't get into trouble. In Skyrim however, the native Nords often treated her with suspicion. But in a land where Khajiit were not allowed into the cities and Argonians often lived outside the city borders, it was something she had come to accept.

Most troubling was the fact that magic was viewed as a sin, little more than a curse. More odd still was the fact that only some people had the talent; Tamrielic magic was so commonplace that it was unusual to see anyone who never used it. When she was young, most lessons were taught by the temple priests who often taught the basics of magic along with the other stuff.

In Thedas however, as magic was so unusual it was feared by the populace. Any mage who showed the talent for magic were denounced by their friends and family and locked up in a prison. Most mages never left the prisons alive, and when they did it was under guard. They were not allowed to have families or receive any contact with the outside world; the very thought made Eira's blood boil in rage. She left her bedroll for the courtyard and went through her hand to hand drills until she calmed down. 'Hopefully, _that_ system will change', she thought.

Eventually Eira picked out her weapons; as undead seemed to be a common occurrence no matter where she went, Dawnbreaker was essential. Over the years, Meridia's gift proved to be a useful weapon. The Staff of Magnus was risky to take with her considering the attitude towards magic in Thedas, but it was indispensable against hostile mages. 'Well', Eira thought, 'it should be easy enough to hide it when it's not being used'.

Although it's origin came from her betrayal, the Blade of Woe would be useful to take as a hidden weapon. People would undoubtedly want to kill her eventually, they usually try to anywhere she went. Karliah's Nightingale bow with a full quiver of ebony arrows would be good to take as a ranged weapon – for all their lauded benefits from the Dawnguard, Eira found that crossbows were rather impractical if you wanted to fire quickly.

Eira paused for a moment, 'If magic is so frowned upon, won't enchantments be a rarity? I should take some mundane weapons with me, just in case'. Following this trail of thought, she rooted around in the chest and pulled out a couple of old steel swords, and an elven bow. The swords were slightly blunt, so Eira picked up a whetstone and started to sharpen them.

As for her armour, Eira always preferred her Nightingale Armour but it would be fairly conspicuous if she was ever seen. She needed something more unremarkable for travelling in towns. While searching through the junk in the chest, Eira found an old leather cuirass, old linen trousers and vest, and some rusted chainmail. 'I should be able to make something suitable with these...' She thought as she hurried off to a quiet area of the monastery with her items.

* * *

The next morning, a tired Eira prepared to leave High Hrothgar for good. She had been awake all night making her new armour, but it was worth it in her opinion. A chainmail short sleeved shirt covered her linen vest, with a sleeveless hooded leather jerkin on top which left her arms free and allowed her to cover her ears if she needed to. A pair of reinforced fingerless fur gauntlets protected her hands but allowed her to still fire her bow effectively; leather armguards covered her elbows with steel pauldrons recovered from her damaged scaled armour covering her shoulders. She had also learnt a lesson from talking to all those guards she met on her travels by attaching steel knee guards on her thick leather trousers. A pair of light leather boots protected her feet, while still allowing her to feel the ground beneath them.

Putting on her fur cloak and filled backpack, Eira exited the living quarters. She saw the Greybeards waiting at the courtyard door to give their farewells, Arngeir foremost amongst them wearing a proud expression on his face. As she approached, the monks looked up looking almost sorrowful that their Dragonborn was leaving them. Wulfgar, Einarth and Borri bowed and whispered '_Dovahkiin'_ to her as she passed, causing the mountain to tremble at their feet.

Finally approaching Arngeir, he walked forward and spoke. "It makes us sad to see you go Dragonborn, but we know that you will do well" He gave a dragon shaped amulet to her; Eira noticed the familiar tingle of a healing enchantment as it touched her fingers. "Take this, and know that you will never be forgotten by us or Skyrim."

Eira put it on, while blinking back tears. Composing herself, she spoke to the whole monastery, "Thank you, for all you have done for me. Su'um ahrk morah; may the wind guide you all".

Before she could find another excuse to delay, Eira opened the doors and left. She stood in the courtyard of High Hrothgar, breathing in the clear air for a moment before bracing herself for the climb to the Throat of the World. Instead of Shouting away the animals blocking her path, she used her blades to get some more practice.

Eventually, she reached the summit where Paarthurnax and Odahviing were waiting for her.

"Drem Yol Lok Dovahkiin. I hope you are ready for whatever awaits you" Odahviing greeted.

"Drem Yol Lok Odahviing. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be for this. I've said my goodbyes to the Greybeards, and I have my weapons prepared. I only hope that I can return after all this."

"You should be able to Dovahkiin. But before you go, we have something for you." Paarthurnax spoke. "It's a gift given to the strongest dragon priest - Konahrik. Kogaan Do Dovah, the blessing of the dragons."

Odahviing sat before Eira, and a recognizable sense of energy flowed through her as Odahviing gave her his knowledge. "When you are in the greatest of perils and close to death, your wounds will heal and fire will surround and shield you," Paarthurnax explained. "May your enemies fear enraging the dragon within you". Eira just stood in amazement at the understanding coursing through her mind. Meanwhile, Odahviing had recovered himself.

"Now," Odahviing spoke. "Are you prepared? There will be no turning back after this until your work is done."

Eira was still very apprehensive about this but if she didn't take the leap, how could she know if she fly?

"I'm ready."

"Very well. Brace yourself Dovahkiin". Both dragons stood over her, and there was a moment of silence.

"_Wundun Feim Staadnau!"_

Eira saw a white flash before her eyes, and then felt nothing.

* * *

**Well, goodbye to Skyrim for know. And the Shout I made up translates at "Travel World Unbound". So where do you think Eira should end up after this experience? Let me know, and as always let me know if you have any suggestions.**


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome to Kirkwall

**Welcome to my new chapter! Now we are in Thedas, and the story will follow the Dragon Age canon now. Marian Hawke is a rogue with the default appearance. Mostly a helpful person. The backstory for Dragon Age:Origins is the default Hero of Ferelden. Hope you enjoy, and as usual feel free to review, favourite or follow!**

* * *

Marian Hawke walked down the steps from the Viscount's Keep; if she managed to rescue the Viscount's son from the Qunari, she would have enough sovereigns to get on to the Deep Roads expedition. Bethany would finally be safe, and mother would get the home she wanted since they arrived from Lothering.

"Hawke, the Wounded Coast is a dangerous place to go, and I didn't like the look of that mercenary woman. We'd best go quickly," Aveline spoke, as she strode beside Marian.

Marian turned to look at her friend. They met while escaping the blight. Although they didn't get on well at first, they bonded during their first year of servitude after the deaths of Aveline's husband and Marian's little brother. As the Guard-Captain, Aveline took her responsibilities seriously with an unshaken loyalty. "You are right Aveline, but first I want to pick up Varric and Bethany before we head off."

Aveline nodded her agreement. "Good. Varric would be helpful and it would be a good idea to get Bethany out of Kirkwall for a bit. Your uncle's house must be stifling for her."

Marian groaned as she thought about Gamlen. For all mother's talk of the riches and respect that her family had in Kirkwall, it turned out that their uncle had wasted the family's fortune until they didn't have two coins to rub together. He had even sold the Amell estate to slavers! She had seen him spending the few bits of gold that she hadn't been able to hide in the Blooming Rose! It was very irritating to Marian; she missed the farmhouse they had in Lothering, it was comfortable and quiet and they made an honest living off the land. Here, Kirkwall felt more like a hive of angry wasps just waiting to swarm with the Qunari in the Docks, Ferelden refugees desperate for work and mages fighting the Templars.

The two women walked towards Lowtown, with Aveline greeting the guards on duty along the way. Eventually they reached the Hanged Man – one of the most infamous inns in the city, the other being the Blooming Rose in Hightown. As they entered, the smell of stale beer and old vomit hit them; this had been the scene of many a drunken brawl, of which Marian the smuggler used to be a part of. After their year of servitude, Marian and Bethany avoided the taverns for a while for the rumours to die down, now they were welcomed like any other patron. The conversations in the bar hushed when the patrons saw Aveline – nobody wanted to get into trouble with the city guard anymore since she took over. However Marian and Aveline ignored the looks that they were given, and climbed the stairs to Varric's suite.

Varric was lounging in one of the chairs in his room with a pint of ale in his hand when the women entered. The dwarf was well connected with a keen mind, but came across as a storyteller and a slacker to most people. In fact, it was Varric that had the idea of becoming partners on the expedition after his brother rejected the Hawke siblings as hired hands. Marian quickly bonded with Varric over a shared sarcastic sense of humour, but often became irritated when he spontaneously narrated her actions occasionally.

"Ah. Good to see you Hawke. What trouble are we getting into today? Or is this purely a social visit?" Varric greeted.

"Hey Varric. We have a job on the Wounded Coast – rescuing the Viscount's son. We'll get paid five sovereigns if we're successful. Want to come?" Marian said.

"Come on Hawke, when have you known me to refuse? I don't like nature, but I'll come along if there's coin involved." Varric stood up, and lovingly picked up his crossbow from its stand. "Let's go Bianca."

Marian said, "Your attachment to Bianca is something that I'll never understand. Still, time is wasting. I'd like to pick up Bethany and then we'll head out."

"Sure thing Hawke," said Varric as they moved to leave the Hanged Man.

* * *

Bethany was polishing her staff when Marian entered Gamlen's house. The two siblings were on good terms with each other, although Bethany was becoming a bit more distant towards Marian since they arrived at Kirkwall.

Marian guessed that it was the stress of being in a place with a large number of templars. Their father had always warned them about the ruthlessness of the Templar order when tracking apostates. He originally came from the Circle here, but he escaped to elope with their mother - for while she was disowned, until the siblings found their grandparents will which showed that they forgave her everything. In Lothering, they lived some distance away from the village, so the chances of coming across a templar were small. Here however, the Gallows hung menacingly over most of the town. Marian never liked the templars either, to her they were suspicious busy bodies prodding their noses into everyone's business.

"Hi Bethany, we're headed out to the Wounded Coast. Do you want to come?" Marian said.

"Alright, I think that I've polished this staff enough times already." Bethany stood up, putting her staff on her back and adjusting her robes. "Who's coming with us?"

"Varric and Aveline, they're just waiting outside. Is mother around? I'd like to tell her where we're going." Marian asked as she picked up her two daggers from her corner of the room, and checked her leather armour.

"She left to visit an old friend of hers, and Gamlen is out again." Bethany replied.

"Probably he's back at the Blooming Rose... Okay, I'll just leave a note for her then." Marian said as she walked over to the desk to write the note. "We'll probably get back after mum returns, and we don't want her to worry. Come on."

"Maker knows that she has enough to worry about with me." Bethany muttered to herself as the two sisters left the house. Marian looked at her sister worriedly, Bethany was feeling more guilty about her magic everyday and the risks that her family took to keep her safe. Marian never really cared for the risks - she would feel worse if Bethany was taken to the Circle and never came into contact with her family again, family was one of the few things that mattered to her.

* * *

The Wounded Coast was a hostile place even by Kirkwall's standards. Bandits were likely to jump out at you from nowhere from the sides of the path, and ever since the Qunari were stranded here, hostile Tal-Vashoth had made camp here. The small group that entered were knowingly cautious about coming to this place - Hawke and her band had been a more than a few scraps here.

"So Hawke, where should we look first?" Varric said.

"There's a little cove along the path to the left. My guards report that there are sometimes bandits hiding over there. If the Viscount's son and his captor were hiding from other people, that's likely where they would go." Aveline said.

Bethany looked down on the sandy ground. "There appear to be footprints heading off into that direction anyway."

"You know, you would make a good rogue Sunshine," Varric smiled. "You should let me teach you."

Marian listened to this banter with a smile; Varric, Bethany and Aveline always seemed to get on well with each other."Alright, to the left it is then," she said as she started to walk. The others quickly followed her.

As they walked along the path, Marian heard a small moan coming from a path leading to a dead end. She stopped and turned to her companions in confusion, "Did any of you hear anything?"

Bethany and Aveline shook their heads, but Varric nodded. "Yeah, I did hear something. Don't know what it is though."

Marian heard the moan again, but slightly louder followed by some muttered swears. It seemed to a woman's voice.

"I heard it too. It seems to be coming from that dead end," Aveline spoke, pointing at a path to the left.

"Should we go and look?" Bethany said worriedly.

Marian thought for a moment, "Alright, after all what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, it could be a hung-over bandit..." Varric said nonchalantly as Marian and Bethany walked off the path to the dead end. Aveline and Varric looked at each other for a moment, but then Varric shrugged and they both followed.

* * *

It wasn't long until Marian had found the source of the noise. She and Bethany came across the body of a woman lying on her stomach. She was wearing leather armour, with dark brown hair peeking out from her hood. On her belt was an ordinary steel longsword, but its design was intricate with knots. She was still moaning in pain and swearing slightly under her breath.

Marian looked at this woman in distrust. She didn't look like a bandit, but her armour and sword was nothing like anything she had seen before. She was also wearing a backpack which looked as if it was full to bursting - who needed that much supplies?

"Bethany, can you see what's wrong with her?" Marian said as she kept her eyes on this stranger.

"Well, I'm not as good as Anders, but I'll give it a go."

Bethany held her hands over the body, and a familiar warm light came to her as she examined the woman; creation magic was one of the things that her father was most passionate about. He used to say, "it doesn't matter how many blood mages there are, people will still accept a mage if they can heal and protect the people that they care about". While scanning the woman's body for any fresh wounds, she noticed that there were a great deal of scars and partially healed wounds that probably came from fights - this person was aggressive if she managed to get this many scars.

"It just seems to be a concussion, nothing too serious. She has a lot of partially healed wounds though, evidence that she's been in a lot of fights. Should we try and get her up so I can heal her?"

"Alright, Aveline can you help? Keep your sword handy in case she tries anything. Varric, cover her with Bianca just in case she tries to attack us," Marian said as she turned towards the two figures walking down the path. "As for you Bethany, perhaps you had better keep out of her sight for the time being. If she tries anything, hit her with a cold spell - it'll slow her down."

"Right you are Hawke," Varric replied as he unslung his crossbow from his back and aimed it at the stranger.

Bethany simply nodded and moved behind a tree.

Aveline strode over and shook the figure's shoulder as Marian watched for any sudden moves. The figure moved slowly, as she rolled over onto her back

"W-what? Who's there?" Said the stranger as her opened her eyes, revealing them to be a gray colour. She slowly lifted her hands to her head. "Argh, my head... It feels as if a cart horse has just run me over after one too many meads." She lifted up her head and looked around for the first time. "Where am I?"

Marian got down onto the ground and spoke soothingly to her. In this state, this woman didn't seem too angry, more vulnerable "My name is Hawke, and this is Aveline. We just found you here. As for where you are, you're on the Wounded Coast."

"The Wounded Coast? I can't say that I've heard of it." The stranger replied. 'Thank the Divines, they speak the common tongue,' she thought.

"Kirkwall? The Free Marches? Any of those places seem familiar?" Aveline questioned.

"No."

The group looked at her in disbelief. Marian was at best doubtful about this. Either this woman had gotten so drunk that she had forgotten everything about where she was, she was never taught anything, or she wasn't from Thedas - but that was impossible.

The stranger knew that she had to make something up quickly, she needed allies but she couldn't afford to tell them about Skyrim or Tamriel yet - not until she knew more about this place.

"I was on a ship when a storm hit us. I got knocked out after that, I assume it was shipwrecked and destroyed. I'm sorry, I don't know any more. I'm not from around here."

Aveline looked up at Marian, "There have been a few storms recently and her accent is different to anything I've heard. Her story is kind of plausible."

"Perhaps, I still don't really believe it though." Marian looked back down at the figure. "Could you tell us your name?"

"It's Eira."

"Alright Eira, would you mind if my sister healed you? Just keep in mind, that if you tell anyone about her magic I will come after you and I will kill you," Marian said in a menacing tone.

"Sister!" Bethany cried out in shock. Although it wasn't the first time that Marian had threatened someone, she had never really done it too often. Bethany was still unused to this side of her sister that she rarely saw.

"I will not risk the templars catching you Bethany," Marian replied. 'Family is more important than anything else'.

'Hmm, this must be a mage outside these prisons I've heard of', Eira thought. 'I'd best tread carefully, I need allies and I can't afford to antagonise anyone - yet'.

"Don't worry," Eira raised her hand in the universal gesture of an oath. "I swear that I will not mention to anyone any use of magic that I see here. May I be hunted down and killed like a dog if I tell a soul."

Marian was a bit weirded out by this oath. She had never heard that of an oath where the taker had to be hunted if they broke it; especially the wording 'like a dog' - it sounded more familiar to this woman than just a saying.

Eira meanwhile had lowered her hand, "Now, I would greatly appreciate your assistance in getting this damnable headache away," she said to Bethany.

Bethany sighed in relief and started her healing spell focusing on this woman's concussion. There were many things that seemed wrong with this stranger, but Anders would have to look over them - she wasn't experienced enough.

Marian turned to Varric, "Alright, I think you can put Bianca away. I doubt that she'll be a threat to us now."

Varric put his crossbow on his back and walked towards the rest of the group. "Well, alright. I'll keep my eye on her just in case." Varric was equally as bothered by this stranger as the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Eira' headache had disappeared with the healing magic. In truth, she was slightly disquieted about how the magic felt. It was unlike anything that she had felt before, almost as if it was forced rather than intuitive like magic was in Skyrim; similar to daedric magic in a way. Maybe it was the magic reacting with her body, but the wolf within her blood was practically snarling at this. Eira breathed as she sought to regain control.

"Thank you Bethany."

Bethany nodded her head, "You're welcome. I'm not a good healer however."

Eira smiled back and moved to stand up. Then she noticed Varric in surprise, "Why are you so small?"

Varric looked slightly offended by this, "Have you never seen a dwarf before?"

'Dwemer? They're here? They look completely different to the descriptions in the books I've read', Eira's thoughts spun in her head as she thought about this. She replied, "No. I've never seen a dwarf before."

The group looked at her again in shock, there were dwarves everywhere these days.

"Are there no dwarves where you are from?" Varric asked with surprise.

"No, they disappeared a long time ago." Eira replied.

"Your home must be very remote from ours then," Bethany said as she stood up from the ground.

"You could say that, yes." Eira said.

Aveline looked at Eira then eyed her blade, "Well, since you have a sword I assume that you know how to use it."

Eira looked down at her steel longsword. It was simple, yet reliable. She didn't want to shock her new acquaintances with her artefacts. "Yes. I was somewhat of a mercenary in my home. I travelled around doing odd jobs for people; things like clearing out bandits, killing animals on the road, that kind of thing. There's usually someone willing to pay for someone else to do their dirty work."

"You're too right there." Varric smirked in cynicism.

"If you are good with that sword, then we could probably use some help. The Viscount's son has been kidnapped, and we're tasked with bringing him back. Call it payment for the healing." Marian said.

Masking her confusion over this 'Viscount' term, Eira agreed. "Very well, I always clear my debts, and it's always useful to have backup in these sorts of situations," she said. "Do you know what opposition that we're likely to face?"

"There were some nasty looking mercenaries on the same job, and the kidnapper is a Qunari," Aveline replied. Seeing the confused look on Eira' face, Aveline clarified. "They are a horned race from Par Vollen. They are very strong, so be cautious around them."

"Alright, I'll be careful then," Eira said. "So, shall we get going?"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this, I shall be continuing this soon, but this to be a good cut off point. Again, please review and send suggestions for Varric's nickname for Eira.**


	4. Chapter 3: Mercenary Battle

**Hello everyone! Glad to see that people are enjoying this story. I'd thought I'd clarify a few things before continuing.**

**- There is going to be NO romance between the Dragonborn and any other character from Dragon Age 2. Like I said in the first chapter, I cannot write romance scenes for anything. In the future, I may hint at a relationship going on with Hawke and one of the canon love interests, but I probably won't put in explicit details and I haven't gotten that far yet.**

**- I'll do a scene at the bone pit to show Eira's Dragonborn abilities before ending act 1.**

**- As magic as a different source in both Skyrim and Dragon Age, I'll be keeping those two sources separate. Eira has her own source of magic, and the mage characters in Kirkwall have their own. Possibly they might be able to affect each other, but I haven't decided.**

**- As for Eira herself, I thought of having her as a half elf. The father being a Nord, and the mother as a Wood Elf. This way Eira has mostly elven features. Her age at this point is in her mid thirties. Yes, she is a werewolf, but I'll have it as a passive ability rather than one she uses all the time. Again, the lycanthropy is a different source to the one in Dragon Age.**

**- Yes, Eira did become in charge of the guilds in Skyrim, but she isn't the character to rub it in anyone's face and I probably won't mention her status in Skyrim to anyone in this story. Also it's been a year since she went into hiding, so presumably the guilds elected new heads.**

**- I own nothing except for my own character. Quest dialogue is taken from the game.**

**There are a few swearwords in this chapter, so keep that in mind if you have a sensitive disposition.**

* * *

Before long, Hawke's group and Eira were moving forward on the path towards the cove. Eira quickly approached the Hawke sisters to ask them a few niggling questions.

"So, I'm guessing that this Viscount is some kind of a nobleman?" asked Eira.

"Yes. Don't you have Viscounts where you come from?" queried Bethany.

"No. Skyrim – my home – is separated into Holds. Each Hold has a Jarl to maintain law and order, and each Jarl swears fealty to the High King." 'Damn! I never meant to mention Skyrim just yet! Hopefully they won't look into it much further yet,' Eira thought frustratedly.

"Hmm, that sounds a bit like how Ferelden was run," Marian spoke. The group walked in silence for a moment.

"So I assume that this nobleman has had martial training if he is high ranking here. He can't be in that much danger," stated Eira.

The group looked towards her in surprise.

"Of course not! Why would a noble fight, when there are guards to do it for him?" Varric snickered.

"Just in case the noble gets into situations like these, when they _are _separated from their guards," Eira plainly stated as if it was obvious. "To not teach it is fairly foolish."

"Unfortunately, nobles aren't the sort of people to follow good advice," Aveline said as the group walked down the path to the cove.

'Gods! I'm in a society ruled by milk-drinkers! Then again, that hardly seems that much different - the Jarls would never fight when they have a housecarl to do it for them!' Eira thought cynically.

* * *

Shortly, Marian ordered her group to stop moving and looked ahead into the clearing.

"Maker! The mercenaries are already there...they've just killed the Qunari. We had better hurry," Marian muttered to her companions. This could mean that the nobleman is in danger!

"Alright, should I stay back in case there are other mercenaries behind us?" Eira whispered. 'I'll ask my questions about this Maker afterwards, perhaps I'll get an opportunity to look at this 'Qunari',' she thought.

Marian nodded, "Actually that's a good idea. Do you need anyone to stay back with you?"

"Nah, I'm fine. This place seems fairly defensible. You lot go on ahead, and if nobody else comes along I'll come join you in the fray."

"Okay. Everyone else, follow me," Marian walked towards the mercenaries with Bethany, Varric and Aveline in tow. Her mind was still in turmoil about this new acquaintance she just picked up. She was seemingly ignorant of everything she saw, but clearly she had a knowledge of combat and strategy. Where did she come from?

* * *

"And the world's rid of one more Qunari. Easier than I expected." The mercenary leader was gloating over the noble kneeling in grief next to the Qunari's corpse. The leader turned to her men, "Call the men back. We've got an appointment with the viscount. Isn't that right, Saemus?"

"Ashaad...you killed him." Saemus stood up and glowered at the mercenary, "You...you vashedan bitch!"

"That one of _their_ words? See, that's why you need to be dragged home. You're playing too nice with those things," the woman replied in disgust. She then leered at the man in amusement. "I'll wager you've gone even further than that. Haven't you, brat?"

'By the Nine, that woman's a prick!' Eira thought as listened. She got out her bow from her backpack, removed her hood revealing her pointed elven ears, and knelt down by the rocks, taking aim at the mercenary. 'She would just be a common, pitiful bandit with fancy armour in Skyrim! The world is better off with her dead.'

Eira watched as Hawke's group approached the mercenaries, she hoped that they won't be in the way of her shot as some mercenaries were in Skyrim. She watched and listened to the opportune moment to shoot her bow.

* * *

"A little rough for a rescue, don't you think?" Marian smirked at the mercenary leader. She enjoyed messing with her opponent's heads when she had the chance. Sarcasm was her best way of dealing with people like that - it relieved the tension before the battle.

The woman turned and glared at the group. "Competition? Well, you're too late. The Winters... I have already claimed him."

Saemus turned to look at Marian. "Serah! If I must go back, so be it. But I will not see these... murderers rewarded!"

The mercenary turned to Saemus and spat at him as he cowered, "Spoiled shit! I'll cut out your tongue and charge extra for bringing you back quiet!" She removed her daggers from her back and turned to face Hawke's group as Saemus ran off away from the fight.

"And as for you... I could do with some entertainment while we wait for the others. Men! Get..." The rest of her sentence was cut short by an arrow landing in her neck.

As Marian turned around to follow the path of the arrow she saw Eira prepare another arrow. 'So, it came from her...I never noticed the bow before, surely her pack isn't big enough for that!'

"Concentrate Hawke!" Aveline shouted as she hit her shield into the nearest bandit, knowing that Marian sometimes had the tendency to get distracted by new things.

Eira continued to fire arrows at every bandit she could reach. Marian took the opportunity to attack the mercenary leader swiftly with her daggers, quickly killing her; while Aveline immediately cut into the surrounding band of mercenaries with her shield and sword. Bethany stood further away from the melee, casting elemental spells at their attackers, along with Varric who stood shooting Bianca at anything that moved. After a few tense minutes, all the initial mercenaries lay down dead on the ground.

Eira took the break in the fighting to shout down at her new acquaintances, "There sounds as if there's more coming from the path behind me. I'll set up some surprises for them, but I might need some help taking care of them!" The group stared at her antics; the fact that she also knew how to use a bow effectively showed that clearly she was skilled.

Saemus ran up to Marian and stared down at the bodies in disgust, "Dead and good riddance." He looked up at Aveline. "But...she said she was waiting for more. A lot more!"

"Then we ready ourselves," Aveline replied, her status as the Guard Captain showing reassuringly to the noble.

Marian nodded in reply and turned to Saemus, "Strip the camp, and we'll ready a fitting welcome." The nobleman nodded and walked towards the back of the clearing, away from the fighting. He seemed to be in that calm place before the panic set in, a nobleman wouldn't normally obey any orders given to him by a commoner without at least questioning them.

As they were talking Eira was focusing on her destruction magic. To her great relief, she found that she could still access her magicka reserves as she could in Skyrim; it seemed a bit slower in coming to back to her however. She put it down to lack of practice: the Greybeards were fairly dismissive of magic, out of respect she never used it in High Hrothgar.

The lessons taught to her in the College of Winterhold were invaluable. As an apprentice she spent a great deal of time around Faralda, the destruction master. Destruction spells were one of the most useful things she was ever taught, even if Faralda could be annoying with her incessant rivalry with Nirya. She also built up a close friendship with her first tutor, Tolfdir - a rather absent minded yet powerful wizard. It took her over a year, but Eira eventually learnt alteration magic to a proficient standard - her trouble with armour spells never ceased to end however, they didn't work if she was wearing her armour! Colette was also very welcoming to her once Eira had reassured her that restoration was valid as a school of magic, although it seemed that Colette was just happy to have a student listen to her.

As the bandits ran down the path, Eira stood up and waited her steel sword in her right hand and a destruction spell hidden behind her back in the other. At the last minute, she cast a fire rune directly in front of the bandit's feet. The bandits were unable to stop as the rune exploded from beneath them. Eira then tore into them with her steel blade as the burnt survivors staggered out from the flames.

Hawke and her group watched at this display. They couldn't see that it was magic being cast causing these explosions; they thought that it was an explosive trap that the mercenaries had walked into. Varric and Aveline quickly killed the survivors from this assault as they staggered from the path.

Eira however was worried. Usually her magicka regenerated fairly quickly after long years of training, now it seemed like thick mud in it's speed. Certainly she wouldn't be able to cast another rune until her magic had fully recovered.

* * *

Saemus stared wide-eyed at the number of bodies still lying on the ground. "Oh Andraste, I've never seen so many corpses. So much blood!"

Marian approached the nobleman carefully. She had seen this look on the faces of conscripts in the King's army at Ostagar after they had seen their first Darkspawn corpse. She had felt like this too, when she first killed a bandit on the farm; she was 14 at the time, and it took her two days to properly calm down. She softly said to him, "We'll get through this. Hold on a little longer. There may be more coming."

Eira had walked back down towards the group with a bloody sword in her hand, along with a few deep scratches and burn marks. "Aye, you're doing well so far lad, considering this is your first time in a full on fight. Maybe you can fight next time," She looked at Marian. "There's another group just coming down the hill, and I don't have any more surprises with me now. Mind if I join you?"

Marian shook her head, "Not at all, could you cover Bethany for me? Some of the bandits got fairly close to her last time."

"No problem." Eira walked over towards Bethany just as the third wave of mercenaries along with a rogue mage ran down the hill. "So, how have you been down here?" Eira asked nonchalantly to Bethany as the battle started anew.

"You are awful!" Bethany shouted at Eira as she began to cast. Eira just smirked at her before launching herself into the nearest mercenary, attacking with ruthless efficiency.

Bethany concentrated on getting rid of the mage before focusing on the other mercenaries. They were becoming a nuisance to them now. Eira meanwhile kept looking at this enemy mage's techniques; she got a nasty surprise when he teleported behind the group and continued to cast. 'I HAVE to learn how they do that!' she thought excitedly.

Before the end of the battle however, a stronger mercenary got up close to Eira and backstabbed her. He shouted to her, "You should have been a whore like the rest of your kind, knife-ear."

Eira was bleeding quite badly, her wounds were threatening to overpower her, but she managed to turn towards her attacker.

She yelled "That's all you got? I've fought worse people in bars y'milk-drinker!" She then stabbed him fatally in the stomach, a deadly technique she learned from Nazir in the Dark Brotherhood.

Soon, the fight was over and Hawke's group clambered towards Eira as she knelt down to the ground struggling to breathe.

"Oh, Maker! Are you alright?" Bethany exclaimed.

"Well of course she isn't, Sunshine. She's bleeding," said Varric.

"Quit your worrying; I'll alright in a moment." Eira muttered to them.

She reached into a bag on her belt and pulled out a strong healing potion. Pulling off the cork with her teeth, she quickly gulped down the potion, slowing down the blood loss and making her less dizzy. Her wounds closed up slightly, but another dose of the potion wouldn't do that much to completely heal them - she needed to use her magic again.

She readied a basic healing spell. As she cast the spell on her wounds, she heard gasps around her as the stab wounds gradually healed before the group's eyes.

'You'd think that never saw someone healing themselves!' Eira thought to herself impatiently. Questions were going to be asked, and she didn't know if she had the restraint to answer them properly. Using healing magic on herself always made her feel a bit crabby towards other people.

"Go ahead, ask your questions and be done with them," Eira said tiredly to the group.

"You're a mage?" Hawke asked in shock.

"Not really. I mostly fight with swords," Eira said. "I just know how to cast spells, that's all. People used to call me a Nightblade."

"But you just used magic..." Varric muttered.

"Yes. So..." Eira was already getting exasperated with these questions. 'Using magic doesn't automatically make you a mage!'

"And I couldn't feel you accessing the Fade. That should be impossible." Bethany said.

"What in Oblivion is the Fade?" asked Eira. The group continued to stare at her in shock at her ignorance of their world and her sudden temper.

"It's the realm of spirits and where magic comes from. The Chantry claims that all mages should be taken to a Circle to for fear of possession by demons." Aveline clarified.

"I don't know about this Chantry, but at home everyone is born with magic. Our magic comes from the afterlife you could say. I've never even heard of this 'Fade' before now. I've never heard of spirits possessing people that are alive, that only happens to corpses," Eira explained to the astonished group.

There was a brief moment of silence as Hawke and the others took in this explanation. Either this person really was dense, or she truly did come from somewhere else... and the latter option was becoming more likely.

"Just wait until you meet Blondie then." Varric said.

"We won't mention this to anybody, but just be careful who you do magic in front of. The Templars do not look upon any magic well," Marian told Eira. It would seem hypocritical to turn Eira into the templars, even if her magic was different.

"Fair enough," Eira said as she stood up. "Just one thing, what did that bandit mean by 'knife-ear'?"

"It's a rather nasty word for an 'elf'," Varric said.

"Son of a... In which case, I'm glad he's dead." Eira said sternly.

"I never noticed your ears before; you don't look like an elf." Aveline said.

"Wood elf actually; however, is this really the time and place for this interrogation? We should really take that noble milk-drinker back to his father," Eira indicated Saemus still looking down at the Qunari corpse, not having noticed this discussion.

"Yes, you're right. However we'll talk later about this," Marian said as she walked across to Saemus. Eira followed, if only to have a closer look at this 'Qunari'.

* * *

"Ashaad never lied, never coddled. You were worth his time, or you were not. They are not the brutes others claim they are. Take me to my father, and I will try again to make him see," Saemus said to Marian as she approached.

"It's clear that this was not your first encounter with this 'Ashaad'" Marian asked in an attempt to console Saemus.

"I met him soon after their ship foundered. I had run again, to escape the Keep and my father. Ashaad was to map the coast to 'find an answer for the Arishok'. I had so many doubts. Qunari have none."

Meanwhile, Eira was examining the corpse. It was much larger than a Nord, very muscular with a grey skin tone covered in red tribal tattoos. The ears were slightly pointed, which showed that possibly this was some kind of elf. The pale hair laid over some intimidating looking horns. As Eira touched them, she noticed that they had a texture similar to mammoth tusks or even goat horns. It was very confusing to her. 'I shouldn't be surprised really. A horned goat elf? When you see Khajiit and Argonians at home, this doesn't seem that odd,' she thought to herself as she walked to the clearing exit.

As Eira was replacing her hood she was listening to this conversation between Marian and Saemus. Marian was attempting to console Saemus and understand a bit more about the Qunari at the same time; to Eira, it seemed that Saemus was acting as if Ashaad was Akatosh reincarnated, and rallying against his father's wishes. He was simply being a typical teenager. If it were her, she could have cuffed him around the ear and dragged him home for being irresponsible. Finally the conversation ended.

"Let's go, Seamus. Your father will be waiting in the Keep."

"Then take me to him."

Eira sighed as Hawke's group and Saemus walked towards her. 'Divines save us from angsty self-important teenagers with normal family problems that they blow out of proportion' she thought to herself as the group walked to the city of Kirkwall.

* * *

As the group entered the Keep, Eira kept looking around her. This area of town was extremely rich in contrast to the rest of the city, and indeed most of Skyrim's towns! She wondered where the money came from for all this. If it came from taxes, this world must be extremely rich.

She followed Marian up the stairs into a study where the viscount sat in session. The viscount himself seems to be a rather vexed man, who seemed too old to be simultaneously running a city and raising a son. He was completely bald with a black steel crown on his head, wearing black robes. Eira wondered if he was in mourning for someone. That would normally be the only reason when someone wears black, it's an expensive colour.

Saemus announced his presence, "Father..."

"My son, I thought I lost you." The viscount walked towards Saemus in concern, but didn't move to hug him or didn't notice the group that entered to room after Saemus. That was nothing new, nobles rarely showed their affection towards their family in public Eira frequently noticed.

"Enough, Father," Saemus said briefly.

The steward coughed and announced Marian Hawke as the one who fulfilled the bounty. Finally, the viscount noticed the group.

"You have my gratitude. I hope you encountered no great difficulties on my son's behalf," the viscount thanked Marian Hawke.

"There were no measurable difficulties apart from another mercenary band," replied Marian respectfully.

"I was told the Winters had involved themselves. Was there no way to avoid an incident?" said the viscount in an attempt to continue a conversation.

Saemus interrupted, "They murdered my friend! Where is the concern for that?"

The viscount looked at his son, "It was my understanding you were captured alone, foolishly traipsing about the coast as you do."

"I was not captured, I was with Ashaad. The Qunari. They are not monsters to be feared. If you would just try to understand, others would see as well."

Eira tried to drown out this family argument as she looked around the study. Dusty books with rather dull titles covered the shelves, a window looked out over a well kept garden; it was the sort that people had for status rather than for a practical purpose.

Then Hawke coughed gently, "This is clearly not my affair, may I leave?"

"Yes, of course, please report to Seneschal Bran for your reward," said the viscount.

"Thank you, messere." Hawke turned with Eira as they left the office. The steward snobbishly ushered them out, and gave Hawke five gold coins which looked a lot like septims to Eira.

"Five gold pieces doesn't seem enough for what you've done. At home, the usual bounty was around 100 gold for rescuing a citizen," Eira remarked to Hawke, unfortunately in earshot of the Seneschal.

"Sorry serah, but most people aren't swimming in gold. Otherwise we wouldn't have to do our jobs," the steward sniffed at her before slamming the door in their faces.

'What a snobbish prick!' Eira thought. 'Stewards often have the Jark to keep them in line, but this one seems to get away with anything.'

"Your home must be rich to have gold as the main currency," Hawke remarked to a bemused Eira, "Most people get along with silvers or bronze bits."

"Either that or you don't have enough mines here" replied Eira.

"Anyway, thanks again for your help. Want to get a drink with us? I got the feeling that Varric wanted to talk to you."

"Of course! It's certainly been a long day," Eira smirked at Hawke.

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**Thank you for reading this, and as always let me know what you think! I am still looking for suggestions for Varric's nickname.**


	5. Chapter 4: The Hanged Man and Family

**Happy Easter everyone! Just a warning, it might be awhile before I update this story again. I'm in my final year at university and work has been piling us. **

**Again, I don't own anything apart from my own character. And as always, read and review!**

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The two women entered the bar; Eira recognised the bland brown colour in the air, it instantly reminded her of times spent in Skyrim's inns – the smell of one too many ales. She swallowed down the feeling of nostalgia in her gut and turned to her companion. "So, what did you say this place was again?"

"It's the Hanged Man, Varric and another friend lives here. It's a friendly place and most people know your name."

Hawke noticed the Revani pirate captain leaning against the bar with her eyes on her new acquaintance. She pointed her out to Eira, "That's Isabela at the bar; she's a former pirate so she might know about your home. Should I introduce you while we're waiting for Varric?"

"That'll be good, thanks," Eira replied as they walked towards the captain. 'I doubt that she'll know anything, but we'd might as well try'.

"Good to see you again Hawke," greeted Isabela as she gazed at the newcomer. "Sorry I wasn't around earlier, I was at the Blooming Rose. Who's your scrumptious looking friend?"

"Isabela, this is Eira. We found her shipwrecked on the Wounded Coast." Hawke turned to Eira. "Where did you say you came from again?"

"Skyrim, have you heard of it Isabela?"

Isabela paused before answering, "Can't say that I have, but I must say I am intrigued by this. I thought I knew of most places I can get to by sea," she leaned towards Eira while purring, "I would like to get to know more however .. ."

"Maker Isabela! Do you really have to flirt with everyone?" Hawke interrupted.

"Of course I do sweetness; it's more fun that way." Isabela replied, while Eira chuckled to herself at this banter. It was very similar to conversations she heard in the Ragged Flagon.

"Anyway, have you seen Varric? He left us after we returned from the Coast," Marian asked.

"I think he's back in his room, avoiding the Merchant's Guild again." Isabela said.

"I don't blame him, considering the rumours you hear," said Hawke.

Isabela smirked, "Are they dirty rumours ?"

Hawke sighed, "I'll leave you to your drink. See you later, Isabela."

Isabela turned back to the bar, "Later sweetness."

Hawke walked on to the stairs with Eira in tow, "That's Isabela for you. Don't worry, she flirts with everyone."

"Not at all, I quite liked her. She reminds me of someone I met during a drinking game." Eira said. 'Curse you Sanguine!'

* * *

As Isabela had said, Varric was sat in his suite with a new book in one hand and a tankard of ale in the other. He looked up as the women entered.

"Ah, Hawke, Eira, just the women I wanted to see. Take a seat, want a drink?"

"If it's strong and alcoholic then yes, it's been a long day." Eira said as she sat on a stone chair and lowered her hood. She wondered what sort of drinks were served here. The smell in the inn wasn't like mead, more like sour ale.

"What did you want to talk to us about Varric?" Hawke asked as she sat down.

"I was wondering about this new friend of yours Hawke," Varric put the book down as he looked at Eira. "I may not know that much about you, but you seem to be talented at fighting. Me and Hawke will be going on an expedition to the Deep Roads as soon as we've got the funds together, and we could do with an extra pair of hands. If you can get some extra coin together as a bribe for Bartrand, we can get you into this expedition. What'd you say?"

Eira lent back in her seat and thought.

Firstly, what in Oblivion were these Deep Roads? They sounded similar to stories she heard about underground passages used by the Dwemer. Although she had plundered many a dwemer stronghold, she never saw any evidence for this theory. Perhaps these dwarves were different, and used these Deep Roads to connect their strongholds.

She needed allies, and this group seemed to be her best chance of fitting into this new place she found herself in . She also thought back to something Paarthurnax had said to her when she returned from Sovngarde, "_Perhaps now have some insight into the forces that shape the vennesetiid...the currents of Time"_. She couldn't help thinking that these people that she found herself among could be relevant to this war she was meant to prevent, or was it just coincidence that she was found by them on the beach?

Eventually, she found her answer as her ale came. "Very well, I'll come on this expedition with you. But I have some conditions."

"Oh? What are they?" asked Varric.

"I'm completely new to this world so I'll need to learn more about it, if you or anyone else is willing to teach me discretely. Also I'll need a place to stay while I'm here; it may be sometime before I can return home."

"That seems fair enough," Hawke stood up with her tankard. "Until you find a more permanent place to stay, you could probably bunk up with me and Bethany if you don't mind sleeping on the floor. Mother won't mind if we vouch for you. "

"As for me, I can give you some books on Thedas and you could probably ask us about anything you don't understand," Varric agreed.

"Very well," Eira took a sip from her tankard and grimaced at the taste; it was very sour compared the ales from Skyrim – less or even no honey in it perhaps. She still drank it all down in a few big gulps. "If you need my assistance with any other situations you find yourself in, you have only to ask. It's the least I can do to repay you for what you've done for me so far."

"Excellent," Varric raised his tankard and drank a sip. "I'll give you some books tomorrow," he turned to Hawke. "You should introduce her to the others; they'll want to meet her, unless you'd like to get them all paranoid about a stranger following our illustrious leader around. Personally I feel that their reactions would be hilarious."

Hawke smirked at Varric, "You're right. Can you use your infamous spy network to call everyone here for a meeting tomorrow?"

Varric nodded, "I can get the word out. You two on the other hand should be making tracks back to your home. It's starting to get dark outside and that last thing we need is a bandit ambush."

* * *

"I'm home Mother!" Marian greeted as she and Eira entered the house. Bethany saw them enter from her seat and nodded at them in greeting before returning to her book.

"There you are, Marian. When Bethany came back alone, I started to worry," Leandra said as she entered the main room. She stopped when she saw Eira and looked at her in suspicion. "Marian, who is this person?"

"Mother, this is Eira. She's a new acquaintance of mine; we just met on the Coast." Marian introduced. Eira bowed slightly to this middle-aged woman standing before her in greeting. She saw the light pinky scent around her indicating that she had a kind nature. It was best to be respectful to her, especially if Hawke would let her stay here.

Hawke continued, "Varric and I have asked for her help on this Deep Road expedition, but she needs a place to stay until she finds a more permanent place to live." Eira noted with a smirk that Hawke brought out the 'puppy eyes' that children always seem to use when they want something. "Can she stay with us, please?"

Leandra looked doubtful, "Surely there are other places more suitable and we don't really have the room..."

"Don't worry milady," Eira spoke up, she needed this place. "I do not expect something as generous as a place to stay for nothing, and I am certainly no freeloader. I can help out around the house if you need the assistance, and I have given my word to Hawke to help her on any situations she finds herself in."

Bethany spoke up in her defence, "She already knows about my magic, Mother. She swore never to mention it to anybody, so you don't need to worry about that."

Leandra thought carefully for a minute before making her decision. "Very well, she can stay. But she'll have to sleep on the floor and I expect her to help with the chores."

"That's quite alright milady. I am very used to sleeping in bedrolls." Eira said gratefully. She was safe, for the time being.

"Please Eira, call me Leandra."

Bethany stood up, "Here, let me show you where you can keep your stuff." She indicated towards the side room where her mother had entered from.

* * *

Half an hour later, Eira's backpack and bedroll were laid out tidily in the corner of the room where the Hawke siblings slept.

"You might want to hide your valuables; Uncle Gamlen will pawn anything if it gets him the coin," Bethany told her as she watched Eira unpack from her bed .

"Thanks for the tip," Eira made sure to check that her artefacts were hidden, and whispered a ward on them so no-one but she could use them. The enchantments on them were strong, but it wouldn't be any good to her if she couldn't use them.

She sat on the bedroll and turned towards Bethany. "I take it that you don't like this Gamlen, despite the family bond."

"He's a drunkard and a gambler. I know that he's our uncle, but something's really sleazy about him." Bethany was stopped by a bang from the door, and the sound of shuffling footsteps. "Ah...Speak of the demon. He's probably back from the Blooming Rose, drunk again."

'What's the Blooming Rose? A rather sleazy joint by the sounds of it, but similar to the Ragged Flagon possibly?' Eira thought.

Both women soon heard raised voices from the main room. One was a gruff male voice – 'presumably, that's Gamlen' Eira thought to herself; the other voices she recognised as being from Marian and Leandra.

"...my home! We can't take in every stray you find! I'll be destitute again!"

"Gamlen, please; she's already said that she'll help around the house."

"It's only temporary Uncle! Just until she can find a place of her own."

"It's the principle of the thing! Why do you allow a stranger to stay in my home, when we can barely afford to have all three of you here?! Family is one thing, but someone we don't even know..."

"You know Uncle, we would be able to afford to keep four other people in this hovel – comfortably even – if you didn't try to take every little bit of coin we made and spend it!"

"Marian, please!"

"It's true Mother! I've checked my hiding places this evening, and we're now five sovereigns short of the amount we need to go on this expedition! We would have had enough to go tonight, but _someone_ took it!"

"Really Gamlen, is this true?"

"A man's got to have some rights... "

Bethany looked apologetically at Eira, "Sorry about this, Gamlen really doesn't like strangers."

"Considering what you've just told me about your uncle, it's alright. I'll assume that he can't handle his ale and it makes him cranky." 'I know I would be cross if someone I didn't know started to live with me'.

Eira sat down on her bedroll and attempted to drown out the family argument by meditating, as Bethany giggled at the observation. Suddenly they heard the door slam, and Marian entered the room in a huff.

"Uncle's gone to the Hanged Man for tonight. I can't believe that he stole our money! We earned it and he just comes and takes it!"

Bethany spoke soothingly to her sister, "We should get some sleep, he'll apologise in the morning. He's probably just an angry drunk tonight. Remember when he came back one night and tried to flirt with me? You had to punch him in the face just to get him to stop; he had a black eye for a week!"

Marian chuckled at the memory as she fell asleep, Eira still meditating on her bedroll and gradually falling into a deep, fitful sleep full of nightmares.

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**That's all for now, please review!**


	6. Chapter 5: Breakfast with the Hawkes

**Hi everyone! Thank you for all your follows and favourites recently. This is mostly just a filler chapter, I'm still studying for my finals and I did this while I was procrastinating (Oops!) Anyway, enjoy!**

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Eira gasped as her visions from her beast blood woke her up. They were terrifying to her, but she could never block them out. She often wondered how Aela dealt with it, and the frequent insomnia.

Looking around with caution she thought that she was in an unfamiliar place, then she remembered the events of the previous day.

'I'm not in Skyrim anymore; this is Kirkwall' she thought in sleepy confusion.

Looking around, she noticed that Bethany and Marian were still asleep. Listening, it seemed that Leandra was sleeping too and there were no other sounds as far as she could hear. Eira quietly got up and dressed in a unenchanted apprentice mage robe before rolling up her bedroll and entering the main room.

There was still the dull brown scent of ale in the air from the previous night. Eira recalled the argument that Marian, Leandra and Gamlen had last night about her. Marian seemed very angry at her uncle for taking her money, as she also would be if it were Eira.

'Perhaps if I make myself useful, Gamlen will see that I'm not a burden on him', she reflected, as she thought on what she could do while everyone else was asleep.

Eira walked back to her backpack and took out her supply of alchemy ingredients and an old mortar and pestle that she took from a rogue mage's cave. Settling back in the main room she began mixing a mild hangover remedy taught to her by Arcadia – charred skeever hide, wheat and blue mountain flowers, mixed with water and gently heated with a controlled flame spell to release the effect. Eira noticed that her supplies would need to be replenished soon, and she wondered what ingredients could be found in Kirkwall.

As the potion finished brewing, the front door opened. There stood a grey haired lanky man; his eyes were bloodshot and he was clutching his head in pain. He looked at Eira wearily and said, "I suppose you're the one that Marian took in last night."

"Aye, my name is Eira. I assume that you're Gamlen."

"Yes, that's me and keep it down! You're louder than a drunk celebrating group of mercenaries!"

Eira spoke softly, "Bethany said that you had been out last night. Here," she picked up the remedy, "this should help – it's a hangover potion; takes the edge off any aches and settles the stomach."

She noticed that Gamlen looked distrustful of this offering, and took a sip herself to show that it was safe to drink. "Go ahead, it's fine."

Gamlen gingerly reached out and took the bottle. He smelt the potion, before deeming it to be safe and downing the remedy. He grimaced at the taste.

"Maker! It tastes disgusting! Are you trying to..." He stopped talking when he realised the effect that the potion was taking on him. Soon the pounding headache he had was gone, and his stomach wasn't churning anymore.

"I take that to mean that it's working," Eira smiled as she packed up her alchemy kit before standing up. "Don't worry, potions almost never taste nice but they do work well. I'd have something to eat to take the taste away."

"Yes...hmm," Gamlen muttered distractedly as he walked into his and what Eira assumed was Leandra's room.

Eira shrugged at his behaviour, knowing that his pride would probably make him thank her anyway. She looked further around the room, and noticed a large dog asleep in the corner. It was around the same size as most dogs in Skyrim, but with shorter fur and much more muscular. 'Must be the family pet, I wonder why I didn't notice it before?' Eira thought as she sat and laid the fireplace ready to make breakfast, before looking for food.

* * *

Marian woke up to the smell of cooking meat from the main room and barking from her Mabari, Bruno. Yawning, she got up and put on a long tunic. Looking at the other bed she saw that Bethany was still awake, but Eira was already gone.

"Morning Bethany," she muttered at her sister.

"Morning sleepy-head," Bethany smirked back. "I was waiting until you got up."

"I can't help sleeping in...Yesterday was tiring with the nobles, and the mercenaries and Eira. Where is she anyway?" Marian huffed.

"I think she's helping Mother with the cooking. What do you think of her by the way?"

Marian sat down on her sister's bed as she thought about her answer. "She seems decent enough. Quite friendly, I wasn't expecting her to offer to help out around the house last night. But I've never heard of a mage using swords before..."

"And I've never heard of magic being born to every person before," Bethany said worriedly. "What if she's from Tevinter? That's the sort of place where they'd teach that magic is from the Maker."

"I think she might be telling the truth about where she thinks she comes from. Remember her reaction to Varric? They'd have dwarves in Tevinter, but she said that she'd never seen one before. But Isabela had never heard of this 'Skyrim' and I assume that she would know most places, even if they were obscure."

"We should keep an eye on her anyway, just in case," Bethany said.

Hawke thought for a moment, "Hmm, agreed. We don't really know what she's capable of." Marian stood up. "Still, I'm hungry and it sounds like breakfast is about ready."

* * *

"Hi Marian; is this your dog?"

Marian and Bethany stared at the sight of Eira lying on the ground with Bruno standing on top of her trying to reach a sausage that Eira was holding just out of his reach.

"Yep, that's Bruno. Sorry about him, he's fairly greedy. Bruno, stop that!"

The Mabari whined as he got off Eira and walked to stand near Marian. Eira stood up and after looking and sniffing at it, offered the sausage to the dog.

"Go ahead Bruno; I think you already got your slobber on it anyway."

Bruno barked happily at the strange woman, before devouring the sausage.

Eira looked up at Marian and Bethany. "Your uncle came back earlier, he's in there," she pointed at the smaller side door.

"Good to know," Marian said as she took the pan from Eira and started to cook. She turned towards her dog as he started to whine again, "Don't think you're getting this lot Bruno. You've already had a sausage. Bethany, can you feed Bruno for me? It'll keep him quiet."

"Sure," Bethany walked towards a cupboard where they stored Bruno's food.

"Mum, Uncle! Breakfast's ready," Marian yelled at the door. She turned towards Eira, "Can you get the plates out? They're in there," she indicated towards another cupboard.

"Of course," Eira said as walked over and took out the wooden plates. As she did so, Leandra and Gamlen emerged from their room.

"Good morning girls, how did you sleep?" Leandra greeted.

"The usual, same old dreams and temptations," Bethany sighed as she filled Bruno's bowl.

"Well, as long as you're alright. That's all that matters," Leandra said worriedly as she sat down at the table with Gamlen as Marian put out the sausages and a loaf of bread. "It smells wonderful, Marian."

"You shouldn't thank me. Eira got it started," Marian said, "At least until a little 'sausage incident' with Bruno."

"So that's where my food goes!" Gamlen exclaimed. "Dratted mutt..."

"Thank you Eira, it's very kind of you to cook for us." Leandra smiled.

"It's no problem at all, milady. At home, I usually cooked for myself and any guests I might have. It's something I like doing." 'Damn! I still used milady, even after she told me not to.' Luckily, the word seemed to go unnoticed.

Gamlen coughed embarrassed, "And I should thank you too, that potion you gave me really helped and I was... less than courteous to you last night."

'Wow, Gamlen apologising. That's a first' Marian thought as Eira nodded to him in appreciation.

Breakfast was a fairly simple affair with the Hawkes. After breakfast, the conversation eventually turned to the day's work.

"So, what are you planning to do today girls?"

"I've called a meeting with everyone at the Hanged Man to meet Eira. She's agreed to help us out with the Deep Roads expedition, so we need to get some extra coin together. We'll probably look out for any odd jobs that need doing – maybe Aveline has something. I'll take Bruno with me too." The Mabari perked up from his food at this, "It'll do him good to go outside."

"I'll come along to the Hanged Man with Marian, and then I'll probably come home. What about you Mother?"

"Not much, I thought I might stay at home today; just doing some tidying." Leandra turned towards Gamlen, "How did it get so dirty in here?"

"Well, I've been busy. Cleaning hasn't exactly been a high priority recently."

The Hawke siblings sighed as they returned to their food.

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**Thanks for reading! I'm always looking to improve, so send me reviews saying if you liked it/it sucks/somethings spelt wrong/etc.**


	7. Chapter 6: Meet the Group

**Hello everyone! Just another short chapter to tide you over. The next chapter should show some Dragonborn abilities. I hope you like this, and as always Read and Review. **

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After breakfast, the Hawke sisters and Eira left Leandra and Gamlen at their home for the Hanged Man. Eira hadn't had the opportunity to look around before as it was too dark the previous night. She noticed that this area of the city was much poorer and in disrepair than the more opulent district of High Town. In Skyrim, there wasn't much difference between the different areas of the cities – the exception being Windhelm, where the Dunmer refugees lived in the Gray Quarter. Eira asked Marian if this was typical for the Free Marches.

"Unfortunately yes; the humans at least have the opportunity to get out of here. Elves almost always have to live in an Alienage."

Eira was confused by this, "What is an Alienage?"

Marian replied, "You don't have them in Skyrim? Count yourselves lucky... Elves were enslaved for a very long time; even though that time has gone, elves cannot live where humans dwell without getting insulted or shunned. Alienages are segregated areas where elves can live amongst their own kind, so they don't get too much attention."

Eira was infuriated by this. In Skyrim, the native Nords might be a bit snarky towards other races but they at least they had the grace to be racist in private. She was never happy with the looks that she sometimes got in cities when her ears were on show, but she was accepted by most of the population. If they didn't like her for who she was, that was their problem not hers. 'Okay, I'm in a society of milk-drinkers _and_ racists... This is going to be tricky to keep my temper in check.'

Careful not to seem angry at the Hawkes, Eira took a deep breath and tried to calm down while ignoring the irritating itch in her head she seemed to get when her emotions surged.

Bethany noticed this anger, "I hate it too. When we lived in Ferelden, we often hired elves to help us on the farm during the harvest. They were really surprised when we offered them the same pay as the human farm hands."

* * *

Soon they were at the entrance to the inn. As they entered the bar, Marian turned to Eira, "Alright. It's probably best if you wait here until everyone arrives, the others never like surprises so I'll introduce you. Corff will set you up with a drink on my tab if you want any."

Eira agreed and walked to the bar, while Marian and Bethany went up the stairs. The bartender looked up at her approach, "What can I get for you?"

"Do you have any mead here?"

"Sorry, that's too expensive. We only have ale I'm afraid."

"Fine, I'll have a tankard of that then." As Corff poured her ale, Eira thought to herself, 'No mead? Is everyone here used to the sour ale? I may need to find a beehive somewhere and make some mead...'

As she sat at the bar and drank the sour ale, she heard the door open and shut a few times. 'Hawke's clan of companions, I'm guessing', she thought to herself. 'Wonder how Hawke's getting on...' before she heard Marian's voice from the stairwell.

* * *

As Marian entered Varric's room, she saw that several of her companions were already here. Isabela, Fenris, Aveline and of course Varric were already sitting around the table; Isabela and Varric were playing Diamondback on the table, Aveline was sharpening her sword on a whetstone they found the other day, and Fenris was simply sat at the table staring at it. They looked up as the Hawke siblings entered.

"Ah, there you are Hawke. We're just waiting for Blondie and Daisy to come up. Did you see them?" Varric greeted.

"I didn't see them on the way up here, they'll probably be here shortly," Marian said as she sat down. "By the way, have you heard about any jobs going lately? Gamlen took five sovereigns from me and spent them, so we're going to need more."

Aveline sighed at this, "You should really let me have a word with your uncle. He can't keep doing this, its theft."

"Yes, let Lady Man-Hands deal with this. Five minutes alone with her, and your uncle will be a quivering mess on the floor," sniggered Isabela.

"Shut up whore," rebutted Aveline.

Varric meanwhile was thinking through his contacts, "I haven't heard anything recently, but ask around Hightown. Maybe something's happening there."

"Many things happen in Hightown, not all of them of benefit to the people who actually to the work," Fenris mused to himself.

As Marian was about to reply, Merrill and Anders walked in. Fenris instantly scowled at them and moved as far away from them as possible as they sat down.

"Sorry I'm late Hawke, I just finished at the clinic five minutes ago," Anders apologised.

"I got lost again. Lowtown is such a maze! I went out for some food, and it took me three hours just to find my home again!" Merrill said.

Hawke chuckled to herself at Merrill's antics, as a former Dalish elf, she had never been in a city before. It would take time to get her used to it.

"Don't worry, I'm just glad you all came. Now, I came across another person willing to help us out yesterday on the Wounded Coast and I just want you all to meet her properly. Varric, Aveline, Isabela and Bethany have already met her."

Anders looked cautious, "Is that wise? What if she's a Templar spy, or a raider?"

"Then we shall soon be short of a couple of Abominations," Fenris muttered just loud enough for the mages in the group to hear.

Anders started to crackle at this statement as Justice began to emerge.

Marian quickly stood up to stop the fight, "Calm down Anders! She isn't even from here, so I'm pretty sure that she isn't a spy!"

"I'll believe it, when I see it for myself," Anders replied as he sat down in exhaustion.

Marian liked the company of mages, they reminded her of her father; but it was often difficult to cope with them. Merrill was sweet, but absent-minded and rather ignorant of what was happening around her - no wonder she was easy pickings for a demon. Anders was a kind person, dedicated to helping the poor and needy but temperamental when it came to his emotions, that's why Justice is so violent when Anders is angry.

"You will soon," Marian walked to the door and shouted down to the bar. "Eira, you can come up now!"

Steps were soon heard on the stairs and the elf entered the room with her hood down. Eira looked around the room at the people, half looking at her in suspicion and others smiled at her in greeting.

"Greetings, I am Eira," said as she bowed to the table. Most people acknowledged her with a nod of their heads, whereas a couple people were still looking her in distrust.

A young wood elf soon stood up and came up to her, "Aneth ara. I'm Merrill, you're an elf too? Do you live in the Alienage as well?"

"It's nice to meet you Merrill," Eira smelled the green scent of plants on this wood elf; her tattoos were similar to the ones she occasionally saw on bandits although she saw nothing malevolent in her expression. She had a temperament that would be seen as...cute.

"I'm half elf actually – my mother was a wood elf. I'm staying with Hawke for the time being, until I can find my feet here."

"Aren't they those things on your legs? I can imagine losing them; you'd never be able to walk. So your mother was a dalish? Some people call me a wood elf in the Alienage. Why do have pointy ears if your father was human?" Merrill asked in confusion.

"I don't know what a 'dale-ish' elf is," Eira said, equally confused.

"You really aren't from here, are you?" Isabela said.

"No, I said that I'm from Skyrim. I don't know where this place is in relation to home though," replied Eira.

"Alright, I think we've bewildered her enough for now," Varric said. "While you're here Eira, I found some books that might help you." He reached down under the table and brought out a few books. Eira took them and looked at the covers.

"Hmm, 'In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar', 'Tales of the Destruction of Thedas' and 'Of Fires, Circles, and Templars: A History of Magic in the Chantry'. Alright, I'll take a look at them. But they look rather biased towards this 'Chantry'. What is it?"

Bethany replied, "It's the main religion here. Was there no Chantry in Skyrim?"

"No, we worship the Nine, or the Eight depending on if you obey the Thalmor," said Eira.

"What are the 'thal-more'?" Anders asked. In his mind, he was conversing with Justice about the news of this Skyrim and this stranger. If there was no Chantry influence, perhaps mages weren't persecuted there – perfect for the Mage Underground, if they could get there.

"They've done some... very nasty things to forward their agenda, that's all I'll say for now; I don't like talking about them," Eira replied darkly. She still hadn't really gotten over the attack in Falkreath that killed her friend and her father's disappearance.

Marian intervened in the conversation, "That's fine, I think we all have things that we'd much rather not speak of," she stood up. "Alright, I think that's all for now. Varric, Aveline, Isabela, could you come with me to Hightown? I need to see if there are any jobs going. Everyone else, I call you if I need you."

"I'll head back to the clinic then. Bethany, do you want to come? I can teach you more about healing," Anders said.

"Thanks for the offer Anders; I'll have to tell Mother first though, she's expecting me back home."

Merrill spoke up, "Can I come with you? I'll know that I'll get lost otherwise"

"Sure Merrill," agreed Bethany as Anders, Merrill and Eira walked out together.

Meanwhile, Fenris simply got up and walked out. In truth, he was apprehensive about this newcomer – as a slave, he occasionally got to see Danarius' research and listened to meetings with other magisters. He knew that the Tevinter Imperium was looking to expand its borders and regain its power. If this stranger could find herself here, the magisters would look to claim her; the net would close up on him as a consequence. He had to be even more careful.

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**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Hopefully I've managed to get the companions personalities right.**


	8. Chapter 7: The Bone Pit

**Hi everyone! Thanks for your reviews, follows and favorites over the past week. You've may have noticed a few changes to the previous chapters, so if you haven't read them yet I recommend that you do. I've renamed the Dragonborn after some thought, and I hope that it's OK.**

**Just a warning, my finals are coming up soon so I won't be updating this fic until they're over. But please leave reviews and favorite or follow if you want.**

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Marian was walking back towards Lowtown from the Chantry Board with her group. There were no jobs today, and when she asked a nearby priest she had been told that the Chanter's Board wouldn't have any jobs for at least the next week. There was simply no demand.

"Cheer up Hawke," Varric said. "All those jobs on the board never pay well anyway."

"But we still need the money... I don't like the thought of being in debt to that creepy dwarf," Marian muttered worriedly.

She mentally shuddered at the 'business' offer given to her by Dougal – it was really dodgy deal, just open for him to ask for more money later. She didn't want to take the risk.

"Hawke! Serah! Over here!"

Marian looked up from her idle footsteps as she found herself in the Marketplace. One of the shopkeepers was beckoning her to him. On closer inspection, Marian saw that it was Hubert; an Orlesian businessman who owned the Bone Pit mines, along with Hawke after she got rid of the dragons nesting there. She walked over.

"Yes, Hubert? Is all fine at the Pit?"

"Fine? No! Nothing is fine! The workers are complaining about hearing beasts at the mines! They're refusing to work, but are demanding that they still be paid! It's costing me a fortune!"

"Have you investigated it?"

"I spoke to the workers that returned, they said that they heard similar sounds from the dragons there. Of course, he was lying. You said that all the dragons were gone from there."

"Yes, but have you actually gone to the mines?"

"Of course not; I have a business to run!"

Marian sighed at this. Hubert was one hell of a shrewd businessman, but he couldn't care less about his workers if it reduced his profits.

"Alright, I'll go there and investigate this. It's possible that I left out a nest..."

* * *

Meanwhile Eira was sitting in Anders clinic reading one of Varric's books – this one was about the magic found in this world. Anders was busy attending to his patients while Bethany was mixing up some healing potions for him.

The book made for...interesting reading. It spoke of how magefire was used as a holy symbol of this Chantry, and how formerly the mages were used as glorified servants – it said of how mages were used to light candles and lamps, and how they were used to dust the hard to reach places. What made the book disconcerting was how the author, a 'Sister Petrine', practically said that mages were mischievous and well suited to this life of servitude.

Eira couldn't believe this; if this book was published in Tamriel there would be an uproar! Yet, such books were commonplace here; it was almost comical in its half-truths.

After the last patient left the clinic, Eira spoke up.

"This book is ridiculous! It's practically propaganda."

"How so?" enquired Bethany.

"The author talks of how all mages are ill-behaved, and how they deserved to be locked away from other people to protect them. It's very generalising, and it dehumanises the mages."

Anders spoke up, "I've been saying that for years! What the Chantry says is to keep us down so we don't get any ideas on overthrowing the world, or some such ridiculous idea."

Bethany had explained on the way down here that Anders was very passionate about his cause of freeing the mages. It was one that the Hawke's supported wholeheartedly from their past experiences. To Eira, it seemed sensible; give the mages the freedom that others took for granted, and they'd be less likely to oppose you.

Eira elaborated on this to the others, "In Tamriel, mages have the same rights and privileges as everyone else. Magic is nothing remarkable, it's just as much a part of the world as anything else."

"It's odd, most devout Andrastians reject the Fade entirely; they condemn it as evil and full of temptations. But if the Maker created the Fade, then it too must be considered as much a part of his creation as Thedas is. That's what my father said anyway," Bethany thought aloud.

"I'm sorry, I'm still confused. What is this Fade?"

Anders looked at Eira in astonishment.

"You don't have the Fade in your home? Where does your magic come from then?"

"At home, we were taught that Mundus – the mortal world – was conceived by Lorkhan, the Trickster God. It was a trick to subdue the Aedra, but Magnus – the God of Mages and sorcery – saw the trap for what it was and fled back to Aetherius. The holes he and his followers left behind are the Sun and stars, and what bleeds through to Mundus from Aetherius through them is controlled and perceived as magic."

There was a silence as Anders and Bethany thought about this.

"What is Aetherius?" Bethany asked

"And the Aedra? It sounds like demons to me..." Anders reflected.

"Oh right, sorry I keep forgetting that I'm not in Tamriel now. Aetherius is the Immortal Plane, the home of the Divines and the afterlife. The Aedra are our... gods you could say. They are spirits that represent stasis, and partook in the Worlds creation."

"What you've said about the Missing God, it sounds similar to Fen'Harel from the Dalish pantheon. They teach that he deceived the gods and sealed them away so they couldn't intervene in the world. I remember Merrill telling me about them," Bethany said.

"It's something to think about," Anders turned back to Eira. "As for your original question..."

He sat down next to Eira.

"The Fade is a constantly ever-changing realm that everyone, apart from dwarves, goes to when they dream. It's also where magic comes from; mages interact with the Fade when they cast spells.

"It's also the realm of spirits and demons. The Chantry teaches that the Maker created the Fade and filled it with spirits. When He became unsatisfied with what He had created, He also created Thedas and separated it from the Fade by the Veil. Some spirits became jealous of His new creations and they became demons.

"It's also the birthplace of the Darkspawn. It's taught that when the Tevinter magisters physically entered the Fade they corrupted it, turning his Golden City into the Black City. The mages themselves were cast out and transformed into Darkspawn."

Eira thought to herself, _'why did this Maker abandon his creations completely? Azura may have cursed the Chimer to create the Dunmer, but she never abandoned them. This god sounds like another prick to me.'_

Aloud she said, "I'm not sure what to make of this. Your description sounds vaguely familiar like something I've read about, but I guess I won't really understand it unless I see it for myself. Could you explain Darkspawn to me?"

Anders eyes darkened as he remembered his time at Amaranthine. His time there gave him some of the most loyal friends and more freedom that he had ever known, but it also tainted him forever. He would be glad if he never had to even think about the darkspawn or the Grey Wardens again.

"The darkspawn are..." Anders paused as he sought the right words. "They are creatures that are tainted. They disease everything they come into contact with. They are thoughtless, bloodthirsty, and indiscriminate in what they destroy or kill."

"Horrible things, we had to run from Lothering because of them. One of them also killed my twin, Carver," Bethany spoke up.

"I'm sorry," Eira said subdued. She never had a sibling, but most of her childhood friends in Bruma did. When a child succumbed to disease, the whole community mourned along with the family.

"Thank you," Bethany muttered as she wiped her eyes.

"Their saving grace is the fact that Darkspawn usually only stay underground in the Deep Roads. They only really come to the surface during Blights," Anders interrupted gently after a moment.

_'So why does Hawke want to go to these Deep Roads if they're so dangerous? Maybe they have a reputation for being full of treasure...easy pickings for me then'_

"Hmm, again it sounds kind of familiar. I'll have to think about what you've said," replied Eira.

After a minute, Marian entered the clinic with Varric, Isabela and Aveline.

"Good news, I've found another job. Hubert's workers been complaining about noises being heard at the Bone Pit and he wants us to investigate."

"More dragons again Hawke?" Anders asked.

Eira perked up at this, _'Dragons? Here? Do they know anything about what's been going on? Are they friendly? I doubt it, but it would be good to check this out. I need to get on this job!'_

"We don't know if it's dragons yet, but we need to be prepared just in case. Anders, could you come along?" Marian asked.

"With all those burn marks you get, I'll have to. Who else is coming?"

"I was thinking about Varric..."

"Sure thing Hawke; I can get more material for my stories while I'm there."

"...and perhaps Fenris?" Marian continued.

"What? No. If Fenris is coming along, I won't join you. We argue way too much and he refuses to let me heal him!" Anders huffed.

"We need a warrior with us Anders. Aveline can't do it as she has some urgent work to do at the barracks, and that leaves Fenris."

Eira attracted Marian's attention from this argument.

"Excuse me, but some of my mercenary jobs at home involved hunting dragons. Perhaps I could help you?"

"You had dragons in your home?" Varric asked.

"It was a recent thing..."

Marian thought for a minute. "If you've fought dragons before, we could use the help. Fine, I'll take Anders, Varric and Eira with me. Pack up your things and get ready to leave. We'll meet by the city gates."

* * *

Eira followed Marian back to her home to pick up her weapons. Eira had made it a rule never to walk around a city with a weapon. It tended to make her a target and it made people around her uneasy. It seemed to work here as well, people didn't look twice at her.

Searching through her backpack she picked up her steel sword, her elven bow and arrows and stocked up her belt bag with potions. If these dragons are as vicious as the ones in Skyrim, she needed plenty of magicka potions to keep her mental strength up, especially with the regeneration rate here being as sluggish as it was yesterday.

After thinking for a moment, she also fished through her bag. Eventually, she found her amulet of Talos in a side pocket. It was very useful for recovering her Voice, but with the religious devotion of the people here, it would be safer if she hid it. After checking that Marian was looking the other way, Eira surreptitiously put the amulet on and hid it under her chainmail shirt.

"So, you've said that you've dealt with dragons before?"

Eira turned around to see Marian waiting by the door. She wore her usual leathers with two daggers on her back.

"Yes. They were somewhat of a rare nuisance back home; they are very strong, have an affinity for magic and very intelligent. It's a deadly combination."

"Something you know from personal experience I take it; did you defeat them by yourself?"

"Only a few times; the first time I fought a dragon, I was with the city guard. After that I made it a point to hang around the armies or other mercenary groups. If I fought them alone, I got very badly injured."

"Alright, so I should tell you how this will work then. Anders will hang back and heal anybody who needs it, Varric will use his crossbow at range, and you and I will be fighting it in the melee. Is that okay?"

"Sure, sounds good to me." Eira carefully checked her belongings.

"Alright, I think I've got everything. Shall we go?"

_'It sounds like a formula that she's carefully worked out. Well, fighting in the melee works well with me anyway. As for Shouting, I'll keep that under wraps for now. I didn't read anything about it in the books Varric gave me, and the last thing I need is to be a target,'_ Eira thought to herself as she walked.

* * *

The Bone Pit was a morbid place, filled with the old bones of slaves and beasts. There was a very strong smell of rotted flesh which made Eira feel slightly sick. The pink scents of the bones filled her vision and practically blinded her tracking abilities. She wouldn't be able to find any type of dragon with her nose in this place.

"Be careful here," Anders was saying to the others, "the Veil is thin, so there may be demons around."

"Will do Blondie," Varric replied while he readied his crossbow.

The crossbow itself was an unusual design. Eira noticed on the way here that it didn't need to be reloaded. If the Dawnguard ever got wind of this, they wouldn't stop until they discovered how to implement it in their own weapons. Varric also had a rather disturbing attachment to it, calling it Bianca and almost fondling it when he thought that no one was watching. To Eira, weapons were tools and nothing else.

Marian meanwhile was talking to a miner standing near the exit. After finishing their conversation, the miner ran back on the road to Kirkwall. Marian returned to the group.

"Well, Jansen told me that they've been hearing roaring sounds in the mines themselves. It could be a few dragonlings or it could be a demon, but I don't want to take the chance. So the plan is that we scour the mines, and kill what attacks us."

"Great plan Hawke, I like it. Tried and tested," Varric snickered.

The ragtag group began wandering around the mines. The mine itself was well constructed; it looked as if it had been around for a while, which Eira understood it had.

Nothing really eventful happened for the first hour. The only obstacles in their path were a few spiders which were quickly dispatched. Eira hated those things, but they seemed smaller than their Skyrim counterparts.

After a while, Eira heard a familiar roar. It was one she heard frequently in Skyrim.

"Did any of you hear that? There's a dragon nearby." Eira told the rest of the group.

"Odd. Just ahead, there should be a ledge. That's where we killed the last dragon," Marian muttered.

"Perhaps another one has roosted there," Varric said.

"We'd better look, see if there's another one," said Anders.

The group cautiously walked outside to the ledge.

Outside, there was no obvious sign that a new dragon had been there. There were only the distant roars, which Eira had the nagging feeling, were getting closer. A body of a dragon lay in front of them; tinder was already there placed by the miners in preparation for burning it.

Eira walked closer to examine the dead dragon. It was much smaller than the ones in Skyrim, more animalistic. The scales weren't as tough and the teeth were smaller. It was definitely dead, but as Eira knew too well just because something is dead doesn't mean that it won't come back.

"Eira, look out!"

Marian's voice rang out when she saw the dragon flying overhead. Eira looked up just in time to see the dragon swoop down to land on the ledge.

Dragon stared at Eira for a moment before releasing a jet of fire. Eira dodged out the way as the fire hit the corpse, instantly incinerating it to ashes.

Marian ran forward wielding her daggers before striking the dragon's back legs. Anders was attacking the beast using his staff, occasionally pausing to heal or bolster a gap in their defences. Varric was standing to one side, constantly shooting his crossbow at any weak point he could find.

Eira meanwhile followed Hawke's example, pulling out her sword and attacking the dragon's limbs. She refrained from using her magic as much as possible as her regeneration was so slow. The wings were out of her reach, but as the dragon tired his wings would lower.

Ten minutes into the fight, the dragon was still just starting to tire. However the group, apart from Eira, were becoming sluggish. Eira was fairly used to this kind of assault; it was easier to focus on one enemy than several waves.

The dragon then let out an ear deafening roar, which stunned the others. Eira was momentarily stunned, but that moment was enough for the dragon to rake her. Eira was woken out of her stupor by the intense pain from the cuts on her midriff. She turned around to attract Anders attention, but he was still stunned and as he was at a distance it would take a while for him to snap out of it.

_'Fine; restoration magic it is then!'_ Eira thought as she readied a strong wound closing spell. It would drain her rapidly, but it would completely close up the wound. As she was healing, she saw the dragon turn towards Marian and lift its claws. Unfortunately, Hawke was still stunned and if the dragon wounded her as much it did to Eira, she would probably faint from blood loss making her easy prey. She needed to act quickly.

Eira turned towards Marian and Shouted,** "WULD NAH KEST!"**

Rushing forward from the strength of her Thu'um, she caught Hawke and pushed her out the way of the claws. Her Shout had the unintended side effect of waking everyone up, and the usual side effect of muting Eira. She turned towards Anders and indicated to him to heal Marian, before returning to the fray with Varric.

Using a Shout also attracted the dragon's attention towards Eira, almost as if it recognised another dragon. It concentrated its attacks on Eira, who attempted to dodge most of the blows. She reached into her belt and took out a magicka potion which she drank in one gulp. With her magic full recharged, Eira readied one of her destruction spells – the Ice Storm – and shot it at one of the wounds on the beast's leg. It considerably weakened the dragon and slowed it down as well. '_That didn't usually work in Skyrim...'_

Eira shouted back at the others having just regained her voice, "Now! Attack while it's frozen!"

A fully recovered Hawke rushed back into the fray and rapidly attacked another wound on the dragon's leg. The dragon then collapsed from the gravity of its wounds, upon which Marian took the opportunity to stab it through the head and finally kill it.

Exhausted, Eira slunk down and sat on the ground mentally preparing for the assault that she would soon receive. Meanwhile the group was busy talking amongst themselves.

"Wow! That was more strenuous than the last fight!" Marian exclaimed as she reached for her water skin.

"Yeah, that was a much louder roar than I've heard before," replied Varric. "Did any of you hear that sound that got us back?"

"I think it was..." Anders then noticed the dragon. "By the Maker! What's happening?!"

As the group turned around, the corpse of the recently dead dragon looked as if it were burning; flakes were rising off from its body and burning white hot as the fires burned. Then just as the corpse reduced down to its skeleton, a stream of light was given off and surrounded Eira. After a few moments the stream stopped, and the lights danced around Eira before being sucked into her body.

Eira blinked a few times as the sudden pressure on her mind ceased as the soul became fully consumed. She became aware of the sudden silence from behind her as the group stared at her. It was time for an explanation and she prepared herself for a barrage of questions.

"What in the Fade was that?!" Anders exploded

"You mean the lights? That was the dragon's soul."

"It's SOUL? How?" Hawke spoke.

"I'm not sure how it happens; it just does when a dragon is killed when I'm near."

"But, what exactly happened?" considered Varric.

"When a dragon is killed, its soul goes directly to me and I... consume it and its knowledge."

"You've EATEN it?! Are you a demon?" Anders shouted as Justice threatened to emerge.

"No. I am a Dragonborn."

"But what is a 'Dragonborn'?"

"In basic terms, it's the ultimate dragonslayer – someone who can use the dragons' weapons against them and when I consume its soul, the dragon can never return. If you want the more complicated definition, I'm a mortal born with the soul of a dragon."

"So you _are _an Abomination then!" Justice had fully emerged. "You won't enthral us, demon!"

"I'm NOT a bloody demon!" Eira was shouting now, the electric blue smell from Anders threatening to overpower her. "Take your head out of your arse!"

Justice had fully taken Anders over, "DIE DEMON!" he yelled as he pointed his staff at Eira.

"This is pointless!" Eira stood her ground and Shouted, **"DREM!"**

Justice lowered the staff and retreated back into Anders' mind; leaving Anders exhausted and feeling oddly calm.

"What just happened?" Anders said wearily.

"What did you do?" Hawke asked cautiously.

Eira indicated in reply that she couldn't speak just yet.

"Well, whatever you did, you got Justice to back down. Usually nothing gets him like that until he's killed a few templars," Varric said.

Eira coughed a few times, and spoke in a hoarse voice. "I Shouted. With dragons, there is no difference between debating and fighting. I spoke in the language of dragons, and it made him back down. It'll pass soon." She coughed a few times more before muttering, "I hate doing that..."

Eira looked around at the faces around her; the expressions she saw were a mixture of confusion, fear, accusation.

She tried to defuse the situation, "I know that it's complicated, I must look like a freak of nature to you. But, you are in no way in danger from me and if you want me to leave you alone I will." Eira looked at Hawke, "But if you needed proof, you should know that that sound you heard after the dragon roared was me; you were in the path of the dragons claws so I Shouted to push you out of the way."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" said Hawke.

"Would you have believed me?" rebuked Eira.

"I guess I wouldn't have done," Hawke sighed.

"And that's why I didn't say before, " Eira sheathed her sword and fished around in the dragon's skeleton for its loot. "You probably need some time alone, and I need a drink. I'll head back to Kirkwall; find me at the Hanged Man if you want to talk..."

* * *

**Well, now Eira's abilities are out in the open. Hopefully I've got their reactions right. Let me know what you think about this extended chapter in the reviews.**


	9. Chapter 8: Revelations

**Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter has taken so long, I've been ill recently and had writers block.**

**Thank you for all your follows and favourites, it's really encouraging to me as a first time writer!**

** This chapter ends rather abruptly, so I may revisit this at some point - anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Eira entered the Hanged Man with a heavy heart. Her actions could have cost her dearly; the others at the Bone Pit certainly looked weary when they looked at her, as if they were afraid of what she might do next. Well, she knew what would help cheer her up and she was grateful that she didn't recognise anyone at the bar.

Corff looked up from cleaning a tankard at the woman who had slumped into a barstool.

"What would you like?"

"A large tankard of ale and some of that 'mystery stew' I've heard about. I'm starving..." Eira muttered.

The barman nodded, as he turned to the back room to get more ale and food. Soon a steaming bowl of stew was sitting before Eira, with a slightly dirty tankard full of acidic ale slops.

As with everything she ate, she sniffed the food disregarding the odd looks she got. _'Goat, it's definitely goat stew.' _Grabbing a wooden spoon, Eira greedily gulped down the food then held the empty bowl out to Corff.

"Same again?"

Corff was surprised; only a few people had eaten the stew that quickly, and nobody had ever asked for second helpings before. She wasn't even running for the slop bucket...

* * *

Eira continued alternating between eating the overcooked goat stew and drinking the ale for several minutes. Fighting always got her hungry, and she was steadily getting drunk. The door opened and another person had sat themselves at the bar next to her.

Looking up, she saw that the white-haired Altmer with the grey scent she had met earlier today had just sat next to her. As soon as Corff noticed Fenris sitting, he placed a bottle of cheap wine in front of him. He knew his usual order, and the elf was disinclined to talk to him. After taking a few sips of wine, Fenris turned to Eira.

"Where's Hawke? I was hoping she would be here."

"No idea," Eira replied. "I came back here after finishing the job at the Bone Pit. She was with Varric and Anders though, and she's a competent fighter. She won't be in any trouble."

"I see."

"What was your name again?"

"Fenris."

Fenris and Eira continued to drink in silence. The Tevinter elf eventually broke the quiet.

"You seem rather self-assured of Hawke being fine. The Bone Pit is dangerous place."

"We took care of the dragon that was hovering around there. The mine is safe again, or as safe as it can ever be as a dragon lair," Eira shortly answered. _'That mine should have been abandoned long ago!' _she thought angrily.

"That's all very well, but why did you return on your own?"

"They needed some time to themselves after that fight and I needed to be alone," Eira muttered after gulping down some more ale. _'I was hoping for more time to be a normal mercenary before being a Dragonborn again...It's like Whiterun all over again.'_

The two elves continued drinking in silence, for which they were both grateful.

After half an hour, Hawke, Varric and Anders walked into the inn; Anders was walking rather reluctantly – he didn't want Justice to emerge and neither did he want to be shouted at again.

"Hi Fenris; it's good to see you outside your mansion," Hawke greeted. "Eira, we need to talk – about your 'abilities'. Could you join us in Varric's suite, and perhaps you could come too Fenris? I need your advice."

"Sure, I was waiting for this talk..." Eira mumbled as she unsteadily stood up and moved to the stairs.

"What do you need me for Hawke?" Fenris was saying.

"I'll explain more upstairs."

* * *

Eira slumped into the stone chair as the others entered the room. She was mentally preparing for this interrogation, but her mind was fuzzy. _'I shouldn't have drunk so much...'_

"It's about what happened at the Bone Pit. That 'Dragonborn' stuff..." Hawke started.

"What's that?" Fenris said, as he leaned against the wall.

"When we were fighting that dragon in the Bone Pit, there was some kind of magic at work between Eira and the dragon. She called it 'consuming the dragon's soul'..." Hawke explained.

"Perhaps it's better if 'Scales' explains," Varric replied.

Eira looked up in surprise "'Scales?' That's a new one; and you're right. I need to give you a better explanation of what happened."

Eira leaned back in the chair, "I guess I need to start from the very beginning; in my homeland there are legends, older than most books and songs. One of them is the Tale of the Dragonborn. It is said that a Dragonborn is a mortal born with a dragon soul – a soul misplaced in the wrong body you could say – and the stories also say that they have dragon blood too. These people are able to kill dragons and steal their power. You saw what happened at the Bone Pit; that's what happens every time a dragon is killed near me."

"Can't anyone kill a dragon?" Hawke asked. The others were just listening in silence.

"Yes, but the Dragonborn is the only one able to kill a dragon permanently. In Tamriel, dragons are technically immortal, spiritually speaking; another dragon can simply bring the dead one's soul back to its body and restore it."

Eira continued. "And that Shouting thing I can do? That's part of that whole Dragonborn thing. Although in Skyrim, people can learn how to Shout just like I can; it just takes them years of meditation just to learn one Word. What takes one talented person a decade to learn, I can learn in one minute. My mind just naturally comprehends it."

"What do you mean by Shouting? I take it that you don't mean talking loudly," Fenris asked.

"No. Shouting is speaking in the Dragon language."

"Dragons do not have language; they cannot speak," scoffed Fenris.

"No?" Eira looked up directly into Fenris' eyes. "**Orin brit ro. Zu'u vonmindoraan, fahliil? Folaas.**"As Eira spoke, everyone in the room felt very strange as the words washed over them, almost as if their souls were vibrating.

"What was that?" Varric asked.

"Dragon tongue; I said, 'Irony. I'm an incomprehensible idea, elf? Wrong'... well, roughly translated," Eira smirked. "I spent a year studying the dragon language in a monastery, and the Words I use to Shout are in that language. Besides, words have power, regardless of language."

"I've heard that before," Varric said. "But words can't do what you did though."

"Dragon language is just a lot more potent than the common tongue." Eira paused while she thought of a good metaphor. "A general in charge of an army can cause a great deal of death by simply shouting the word 'Attack'; that word is a lot more powerful than any of mine in the appropriate mouth.

"Besides, did you notice that after I Shouted during that fight, the dragon concentrated its attacks on me? I think he understood me, and thought I was another dragon. It gave you another chance."

"That vaguely makes sense," Hawke said.

"Then allow to me to make this perfectly clear," Eira spoke to each person in the room. "I have only been honest to you. Anything I have done in the past, I've done because I thought it was right at the time or because I truly needed to in order to survive. In order to control my Tongue, I spent months at a monastery mediating and learning how to only use my Voice in true need; and I've adhered to that in spite of the temptations that come with life. If anything comes because of this ability while I'm here, it's my responsibility and I will deal with it alone."

"Can you leave us while we talk?" Marian asked.

"Sure," Eira replied as she walked out back to the bar.

* * *

"I think she's telling the truth, or at the very least she thinks that she's telling the truth," Hawke discussed with the rest of the group. They were all feeling rather rattled after that talk.

"There have been no stories about dragons speaking or whatever. The closest things to what she said are the tales of the dragon cults in Tevinter and Nevarran dragon hunters," Varric muttered.

"She's dangerous," Fenris snarled. "The dragon cults were treacherous, and she might be a Reaver too if she really does has dragon blood."

"Everything I was taught tells me that dragons are not to be trusted; and remember Flemeth? Eira seems similar to her, and we don't know what she is capable of," Anders worriedly said.

"For once we agree," Fenris muttered.

"Besides, the Darkspawn are attracted to dragons; the Old Gods themselves have the form of dragons. What if they can sense her? Think she's an Archdemon?" Anders continued.

Marian was thinking in silence as the others bickered around her. Eira didn't seem to be malevolent or to have an ulterior motive; but there was no denying that her power was dangerous. As well as being a mage, she had this whole 'dragon soul' thing?

"Is she a mage then?" Hawke heard Fenris asking.

"We've seen her cast healing spells and elemental magic. She insisted that she wasn't a mage when we asked her about it at the time," Varric answered.

"Then she is delusional," Fenris scoffed. "A mage that doesn't call themselves a mage, just someone who can cast magic; it's worse than the Magisters..."

"I think she called herself a 'Nightblade'... whatever that means..." Marian spoke up.

There was a brief silence before Anders remembered something.

"When I was in Amaranthine, the Warden Commander told me about Arcane Warriors," Anders said. "He said that in the days in Arlathan, the elven mages would channel their power through their bodies to become potent warriors. It might be something similar to that. He offered to teach it to me, but I never really saw the point in it to be honest; it just makes you into a more attractive target for the Templars."

"How did he find that out?" Varric asked

"He never said," Anders replied. "It must have been something he found out during the Blight."

Marian eventually came to a decision.

"How about this for an idea – Eira stays with us, but we keep a very close eye on her. She doesn't seem to have any malevolent intentions; but if the darkspawn seem to be interested in her we need to inform the Grey Wardens. Also if she uses magic 'inappropriately' we anonymously report her to the Templars."

There was a silence as the others considered this suggestion.

"You are too lenient on her Hawke, but it's your decision," Fenris muttered.

"I don't agree with sending her to the Templars – that's a death sentence, but everything else sounds fine to me," said Anders.

"As a mage, she hasn't casted that much magic since we've met her," Varric said. "But this plan sounds good. 'Better to have someone inside the thaig pissing out, than outside the thaig pissing in' as the Dwarven saying goes."

"Good," Marian stood up from her seat. "We also need to tell the others what has transpired here. I'll send them the message out tonight."

* * *

Eira looked up from her tankard, as she heard footsteps down the stairs. Eira and the others were coming down the stairs, Fenris left almost immediately after scowling at her.

"What's with the evil eye?" Eira asked Marian as she came up.

"Don't take it personally. Fenris has had some horrible experiences with mages and magic in the past," Marian said. "Anyway, we've decided that you can stay with us. We need to tell the others before we go to the Deep Roads however."

"As long as it doesn't go outside your group, I don't mind." Eira moved to stand up from her seat, while slightly pressing her fingers against her temple. "I shouldn't have drunk so much..."

Marian said to her, "Get some rest, we leave for the Deep Roads tomorrow..."

* * *

**Thanks for reading this. As usual, please review and let me know what you think.**


	10. Chapter 9: Journey

**Hi everyone! After a long wait, I've finished this chapter. Thanks for everyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed recently. I hope you enjoy this!**

**Just a warning, this chapter contains mild descriptions of animal butchery which might upset some people.**

**Again, Bioware owns all the characters and dialogue apart from the ones that I've made up.**

* * *

Eira woke up in a panic the next day as her shoulder was shaken.

"Aahh! What in Oblivion?!" she yelled in shock in Marian's face.

"Relax, it's just me; your breath stinks of beer by the way..." Marian stood up. "I let you sleep in after last night. Get what you need together; I don't know how long this trip will be. We'll meet up with the others as soon as you're ready."

Marian left the room, as Eira scratched her head at what just happened. _'OK, so last night I kept drinking at the bar. It must have been the early morning when I got back, it was so overcast I couldn't tell... I hope I didn't disturb anyone...'_

'_Well, it's best if I take everything with me on this trip. I've got some good stuff with me; I don't want it to be pawned off.'_

* * *

Marian and Bethany were waiting outside when the bang of the door told them that Eira was ready. Turning, they saw that Eira had decided to take her full backpack with her.

"Isn't that heavy?" asked Bethany.

"No, not really. I've had heavier," Eira replied. "I've got everything I think I might need. Who's coming with us?"

"Varric's definitely coming - it's his and his brother's expedition after all; Anders is going too," Marian paused as she remembered the brief argument she had with him over the Deep Roads. He eventually agreed that it would be best if he came as long as someone could look after the clinic for him. Marian continued, "Fenris is coming as well - he's a good warrior and Aveline is busy with her duties."

"So... two rogues, one healer and a warrior? It's a good combination. I notice that you didn't mention Bethany in your list."

"Sister's making me stay behind..." Bethany muttered.

"To be honest, I don't want to go to the Deep Roads either. You can run the clinic for Anders, and if I don't come back..." Marian hesitated.

"Alright, you've made your point," Bethany sighed. "I guess you're right. Well... Goodbye Sister..." Bethany held out her hand.

Marian stared at it for a moment, then reached over and hugged Bethany tightly.

"Farewell Bethany, don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Marian walked off towards Hightown with Eira following waving behind her to Bethany.

* * *

"There you are Hawke! I was beginning to worry," Varric greeted as they met in the Marketplace.

"Worry? You? Never!" Marian smirked and rubbed her hands together. "Are we ready to go?"

"We've just got to talk to Bartrand, then we'll be off," Varric said as he and Marian walked towards another dwarf with plaits in his beard. Eira followed at a distance, listening to their conversation.

"Varric! Where did you get off to? And what are you planning?" A gruff voice said to the storyteller._  
_

Varric simply smirked, "Bartrand! So suspicious! I have, in fact, brought us our future partner!" Varric indicated to Marian who smiled slightly at Bartrand.

Bartrand was surprised by this announcement, "What? Partner!" Bartrand glared at Hawke for a moment. "You stupid, nug-humping dirt-farmer! Why did you go promising something like that?"

"Because if we don't get this expedition moving, Brother, then we won't have any profits to argue about, will we?" Varric slowly replied as if talking to an idiot.

"Hmph," Bartrand sniffed. "Maybe you have a point."

Marian, sarcastically said in an aside to her group, "There's so much love here. It's very comforting."

Bartrand again glared at Hawke before saying, "What _I'd_ love is the coin to back up my brother's confidence. How about it, human?"

Marian confirmed with the dwarf that it was a full share of the profits she would get before replying, "I do have your coin, in fact" while handing over a purse clinking with gold.

"You're joking..." Bartrand's eyes widened, obviously not expecting a single bronze bit from her.

Varric again smirked at his brother's surprise, "What did I tell you, Bartrand? Not bad for a human."

Bartrand gave a quick look to Varric before looking back at Hawke, "All right, partner. Full share of the profit between you, me and Varric. Now we just need a decent entrance into the Deep Roads."

Marian reached into her bag, pulling out a few scrolls. "These might be just what we need."

The dwarf looked at the scrolls, before saying in astonishment, "What's this? Three... four entrances into the Deep Roads, all in the Free Marches? Where did you get these?"

At this Anders smirked and muttered, "A wizard did it..." causing Eira to have to stifle a laugh.

"Well, colour me outstanded. We just pick the most promising one, and go!"

Hawke smiled and rolled her eyes at this as Bartrand continued, "Time to wrap up any business you have in the city, my friend. We'll be gone for several weeks at least. Let me know when as soon as you're ready, and then we'll head out."

"One more thing, Brother..." Varric said, indicating to Eira to step forward. "I've found another hireling who I think will be useful. Any objections to taking her?"

"Who's paying for her?" Bartrand asked, still in a happy mood.

"I am, out of my own pocket no less. It seems she brought her own supplies as well," replied Varric.

"It's fine then," Bartrand said as he walked off.

Eira walked over to Varric and Hawke, "A very rapid change from stranger to best friend from him..."

"That's Bartrand all the way. Give him what he wants, and he's your friend to you," Varric replied before turning to Hawke. "Is there anything you need to do before we go?"

"I've already said my goodbyes. It's now or never."

"Right, let's get to it then!"

* * *

Later in the day, everyone on the expedition was standing around the dwarven statues listening to Bartrand give a speech.

"We've chosen one of the hidden entrances. The Deep Roads there will be nice and virginal, ready for a good deflowering. Hah!" Bartrand shouted to the crowd.

Eira had to stick her fist in her mouth to stop the laughter escaping as Varric muttered to Hawke, "Now there's an interesting image."

Bartrand continued, "It'll take a week for us to get down to the depth we need, and there are bound to be leftover darkspawn from the Blight. Big risks, big rewards."

Eira stopped listening to the dwarf's speech at this point; it was all things that she had heard before in Skyrim. There was never any reward without a bit of risk. She followed Hawke and her group when the talk was over.

"Been a long time coming, eh, Brother?" Varric said to Bartrand when they left the Marketplace.

"That it has," Bartrand replied and grandly gestured. "The Deep Roads await!"

* * *

After a long days walk, Marian and her group collapsed with exhaustion at the campsite.

"Whew! I never expected to walk this far on the first day... over rough terrain as well!" Marian panted.

Varric muttered, "I hate nature..."

Fenris just sat on the nearest rock, picking out small stones from his feet silently.

Only Eira seemed unfazed by the days' non-stop journey; she stood looking bemusedly at her companions.

"What's the fuss about? It's hot, but it hasn't been too bad travelling today."

Anders stood up, leaning on his staff. "It's not hot! It's quite cool today; and what do you mean by 'Not too bad'? What's it like in your homeland then?"

Pausing, Eira considered her answer before replying. "It mostly depends on where you are, but where I lived there were mostly blizzards; it's very cold throughout the year in general. Also, most towns and villages were at least a day's journey apart; and you can't get carts up the rough roads when it's snowy. You get used to it eventually, but compared to that, travelling today has been rather easy."

Marian and Varric stared at her.

"How does anything survive there?" asked Marian.

"With a great deal of effort," Eira shortly replied, removing her backpack and searching through it. "It's a place where you need resilience to live, and a large amount of patience."

"And people choose to live there?" said Varric.

"People don't like to move from where they come from. Skyrim is a tough place, but it's absolutely beautiful in an untamed kind of way." Eira said as she pulled out her bow and quiver from her pack.

"If you get a fire going, I'll see if I can hunt anything for supper," she said, walking off into the woodlands. "We can talk more later."

The group stared at the half-elf, as she went away into the shadows of the forest.

"Anders? Do you have enough energy for a fire spell?" asked Hawke.

* * *

Eira felt exhilarated as she walked gently past the trees. Hunting was a favourite activity of hers, even more so since she had the Beast Blood. It was one of the skills that her father taught her a long time ago.

He was a Forester in the Imperial Legion in his youth, and had to live on his own in the forests around the provinces for long periods of time. _'You don't spend time in places like that without gaining some respect for the land, my_ _girl,' _He used to say to a wide-eyed young Eira, _'Look after the land, and it will provide food, water and everything you need in plenty. Disrespect it, and it can kill you just as easily as anybody with a sword can.' _It was a warning that Eira took very seriously when she was travelling. She was very close to her father; they used to spend days hunting together in the mountains of Bruma, before returning home dirty and scratched, but smiling proudly at their hard earned kills.

Suddenly, Eira's ears pricked up at the sound of hooves on the forest floor. Crouching down, she softly walked towards the noise with her bow at the ready. She peered into a clearing, and saw what had to be one of the most exquisite animals she had ever seen.

It was a kind of stag, but much bigger than the ones in Skyrim. Its coat was white, with large ornate antlers coming out of it's head. It turned and looked at Eira with it's large dark eyes before skipping off into the shadows. Eira considered following it, then decided against it. _'It's best to leave animals like that alone. To kill something which brings that much beauty? That is just needlessly cruel' _she thought to herself before turning around and heading back where she came from, following the scent of another animal on the wind.

* * *

Marian Hawke looked up quickly from the campfire when she heard footsteps approaching her. Eira was walking towards the fire with a dead stag over her shoulders.

"That was quick. You were only gone for three-quarters of an hour," remarked Hawke.

"I hunt a lot at home, so I've had plenty of practice," Eira replied as she hoisted the stag off her and onto the ground. Kneeling down next to the deer, she took a dagger from her belt and cut into the animal's belly. "Where's everyone else?" she asked.

"Fenris has gone to wash up in a stream. Anders is seeing if any of Bartrand's hirelings need any healing, and Varric has gone to have a quick word with his brother," Hawke replied. "They should be back soon..."

Eira listened while she quickly gutted the deer. Removing the organs, she took them some distance away and set them alight with a quick flame spell until they were ashes. After watching the flames briefly, she returned to the deer.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Hawke said.

"Not at all," Eira replied as she began to skin the animal.

"What exactly is a 'Nightblade'?"

"It's a fighting style. We mostly fight using stealth techniques, but we use magic when the circumstance requires it."

"No circumstance should necessitate the use of magic," growled Fenris as he emerged from the forest and walked to the campfire.

"What if your opponent has a weakness to a particular element? What if you are bleeding heavily, or your armour is weak?" Eira swiftly countered, not looking up from her work. "Magic is useful in those situations, especially if you are outnumbered."

"That's true," another voice said. Anders had just returned. "So, how does magic work in your world?"

"We have five schools of magic; six if you count enchanting. They are freely taught to anybody who wants to learn; most people study enough to know how to heal minor wounds or light a fire."

"What are these schools?" Hawke asked.

"Alteration, which is the manipulation of the physical world. Illusion, the manipulation of emotions. Destruction, that's pretty self-explanatory. Restoration, that affects life forces; and Conjuration, the summoning of arcane beings."

"Demons you mean?" Fenris sharply asked, hands twitching towards his blade on the ground.

"Not 'demons', daedra is the proper term. Personally, I have some moral objections to that school; and I was never any good at it anyway, so I don't practice it without a big reason."

"'Moral objections'? In what way?" Anders asked cautiously.

Eira paused to wipe her bloody hands on a rag. "Conjuration also includes necromancy - the raising of the dead. I've fought a lot of necromancers while travelling; generally they are stuck up, lazy idiots who think that being able to cast spells gives them the right to be lord of all things," Eira spat on the ground in disgust. "Also, those spirits that they bind to the corpses? They are still able to feel what's going on. I've had spirits _thanking_ me after I've killed them for a second time; they've actually _apologised_ for trying to kill me... That kind of thing disturbs you." She mentally shuddered.

"What about these 'day-dra' of yours?" asked Hawke.

"The daedra that people summon have the same sentience as animals mostly. They think by instinct, and their instinct is to attack what's fighting them. The tricky part about conjuration is knowing how much to control them mentally. Too much, and they are useless in a fight without you constantly watching over every move; too little, they'll go berserk, kill you and anybody else who happens to be in their way. If people want to learn conjuration, they have to be taught under supervision initially, until they learn the basics."

"From who? A Templar?" Anders enquired.

"Usually from a court mage, or a registered magic tutor. I've never even heard of a Templar before coming here. What are they?"

"They are soldiers, ordained by the Chantry to watch over mages for any signs of demonic influence and hunt down apostates," seeing Eira's confused expression, Hawke elaborated. "Apostates are mages who are not part of the Circle of Magi. Anders, Merrill and Bethany are all apostates in the eyes of the Chantry; I'm essentially Bethany's personal templar - without the bigotry that seems to be in the job description of course."

"Odd; an apostate in my homeland is someone who completely rejects the concept of a Divine. Nobody really discriminates an apostate for that however; what people believe is their own business. The only people that come close to your description of a templar is our Vigil of Stendarr. They are an order of battlemages dedicated to wiping out Daedra and other 'abominations' in the name of the Divine of Mercy."

"What kind of abominations are you speaking of?" asked Hawke.

"Vampires, werewolves, witches," looking up, Eira saw that her looks of confusion earlier were reflected in the faces around her. "I should explain: a Vampire is someone who has been infected with undeath, and they need to drink blood to sustain their strength. A werewolf is someone who can change into a wolf shape and needs to hunt down people to maintain their form," _'Otherwise known as me!'_, Eira thought to herself. She continued, "Witches generally are mages who are batshit crazy for magic - and I'm talking about trading their humanity for more power, murdering people for use in rituals, that kind of thing."

"So, they are maleficarum. You don't tolerate them either then?" Fenris asked.

"No. People like that are too dangerous to be left alone. The Vigilant don't like them because they often deal with Daedra for their own ends. They'll attack anyone pretty much on sight anyway."

"What about Illusion?" Varric emerged from his hiding place where he was listening to the conversation with interest.

"Illusion is useful at times, what it does is it changes someone's perception of the world. It can make the bravest warrior run away crying for their mother, or make the calmest person furious for no reason. On the positive side, it can give your allies a morale boost, and make an enemy not see or hear you until they cannot ignore you."

By now, Eira had finished skinning the deer and had already jointed it ready for roasting over the fire. The furs were in a pile next to Eira, along with the antlers to use in alchemy.

"Shall we continue this after we've eaten? The venison is ready..."

* * *

It was getting dark by the time Hawke and her companions had finished eating. Marian looked up into the sky; she hadn't seen the stars since leaving Lothering, Kirkwall has just too smoggy to see anything higher than the rooftops. She remarked on this to the others, "The stars look beautiful tonight..."

Everyone around her looked up in contemplation; then a sharp yelp sounded through the camp. Eira was staring in shock and fear at the sky.

"The moon... WHERE'S THE OTHER MOON?!"

"What are you talking about?" Varric worriedly said. "There is only _one_ moon, there always has been one."

"There's two at home! Masser and Secunda. I see Secunda, but where is Masser?"

Hawke and the others looked uneasily at each other. Was Eira's world this different from theirs?

"By the Divines and Daedra..." Eira whispered mostly to herself. "I never thought I would see anything like this..."

"Daedra? I thought you said they were like animals?" Anders said having overheard.

"Most of them; not _all_ of them. There's a hierarchy of power with daedra. At the top of the power hierarchy, are the Daedric Princes - the gods of change. They are fully sentient, and often interfere with mortal lives according to their whim."

"You can't be serious..." Fenris muttered. "More demons..."

"I am serious. I know that they exist and they have a great deal of power, but they have a different sense of morality to mortals. To them, mortals are the ants scurrying under their feet; and like people they can choose to ignore the ants or burn them. They can't be considered good or evil, same as the Divines," Eira explained as she stood up from the ground.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, it's just a bit of shock to see something that I thought would never change," she walked to the perimeter of the camp. "I'll take first watch, get some rest."

* * *

**Thanks for reading everyone! I'm afraid I'll be busy over the next few weeks, so I might be slow in updating. Still, please review this chapter, let me know what you think!**


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